THE     PACIFIC 
NORTHWEST  PULPIT 


Compiled  Jby 

PAUL     LITTLE 


GIFT  OF 


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THE    PACIFIC 
NORTHWEST    PULPIT 


COMPILED   BY 

PAUL    LITTLE 

FOREWORD  BY 
CHARLES  MACAULAY  STUART 

President  of  Garrett  Biblical  Institute 


THE  METHODIST  BOOK  CONCERN 

NEW  YORK  CINCINNATI 


Copyright,  1915,  by 
PAUL  LITTLE 


• 


TO   THE 

HEROES   AND   HEROINES 
KNOWN  AND   UNKNOWN 

WHO  IN  BROAD-MINDED  AND  PRACTICAL  MAN- 
NER, WITH  EARNEST  AND  COURAGEOUS 
EFFORT,  ARE  SOLVING  THE  PROBLEMS  OF 
THE  PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  FOR  THE  CHRIST 
THIS  BOOK  OF  SERMONS  IS  AFFECTIONATELY 
DEDICATED 


CONTENTS 
PART  I.    INTRODUCTORY 

PAGE 

FOREWORD 9 

President  Charles  M.  Stuart,  Garrett  Biblical  Institute. 

INTRODUCTION > 13 

Paul  Little. 

THE  MOST  DANGEROUS  CLASS  IN  AMERICA  (Rom.  9.  3) .   18 
Bishop    Richard    Joseph    Cooke,    Resident    Bishop, 
Portland,  Oregon. 

PART  II.     PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  CONFERENCES 

I.  OREGON 

1.  FISHERMAN  OR  SHEPHERD  (John  21.  17) 44 

President  Carl  G.  Doney,  Salem,  Oregon. 

2.  THE  MUTUAL  OBLIGATIONS  OF  CHURCH  AND  STATE 

IN  BUILDING  HUMAN  CHARACTER  (Matt.  27.  4) .     58 
Frank  La  Fayette  Loveland,  First  Church,  Port- 
land, Oregon. 

3.  THE  GOSPEL  FOR  AN  AGE  OF  DOUBT  (John  1.  46). .     76 

Herbert  Swann  Wilkinson,  First  Church,  Eugene, 
Oregon. 

4.  THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  SIN  (1  John  3.  4;  5.  17).     88 

Clarence  True  Wilson,  General  Secretary,  Method- 
ist Temperance  Society,  Topeka,  Kansas. 

II.  PUGET  SOUND 

1.  LIKE  UNTO  His  BRETHREN  (Heb.  2.  17) 102 

A.  W.  Leonard,  First  Church,  Seattle,  Washington. 

2.  CHRISTIAN  CERTITUDE  (1  John  2.  3) 114 

Joseph  P.  Marlatt,  First  Church,  Everett,  Wash- 
ington. 

3.  PERFECTED  CULTURE  (John  12.  21) 128 

President  Edward  H.  Todd,  Tacoma,  Washington. 

III.  COLUMBIA  RIVER 

1.  THE  FAITH  WHICH  SATISFIES  (John  6.  35) 138 

Robert  Brumblay,  Superintendent,  Wenatchee  Dis- 
trict, Spokane,  Washington. 
5 


6  CONTENTS 

2.  THE  UNSEEN  FORCES  OF  GOD  (2  Kings  6.  17) 164 

Harold  O.  Perry,  Superintendent  The  Dalles  Dis- 
trict, Kennewick,  Washington. 

3.  BROTHER  ENOCH  (Gen.  5.  24) 166 

Francis   Burgette   Short,    First   Church,   Spokane, 
Washington. 

4.  THE  PROGRAM  OF  LIFE  (Eccles.  3.1;  James  4.  13-15)  180 

Gabriel  Sykes,  Waterville,  Washington. 

IV.  IDAHO 

1.  BEHOLD  THE  MAN!     (John  19.  5) 192 

James  David  Gillilan,   Superintendent  Boise  Dis- 
trict, Boise,  Idaho. 

2.  THE  GIFT-BRINGER  (Isa.  9.  6) 202 

Wilsie  Manning  Martin,  First  Church,  Boise,  Idaho. 

V.  MONTANA 

1.  THE  SIN  OF  STUPIDITY  (Acts  7.  25) 220 

President  Charles  Lincoln  Bovard,  Helena,  Mon- 
tana. 

2.  THE  SIN  OF  THE  STRONG  (Gen.  49.  14,  15;  2  Thess. 

3.  13) 232 

Edward    Smith,    Superintendent    Butte    District, 
Helena,  Montana. 

VI.  NORTH  MONTANA 

CHRISTIAN  STEWARDSHIP  (1  Sam.  2.  30) 242 

John  A.  Martin,  Superintendent  Great  Falls  Dis- 
trict, Great  Falls,  Montana. 

PART  III.    SYMPOSIUM 

THE  PROBLEMS    OF   THE    PACIFIC    NORTHWEST:  How 

BEST  SHALL  WE  SOLVE  THEM?.  .  255 


PART  I 
INTRODUCTORY 


FOREWORD 

THE  discerning  editor  of  this  work  interprets 
his  commission  with  an  altogether  satisfactory 
comprehensiveness.  In  his  own  introduction  he 
sets  forth  with  eloquence  the  wonders  of  the 
Pacific  Northwest;  then  in  the  symposium  with 
which  the  work  concludes  he  discloses  the  prob- 
lems involved  in  the  proper  development  of  the 
Empire  whose  wonders  he  celebrates  and  whose 
prosperity  is  his  chief  joy.  Midway  he  places 
prophetic  messages  illustrative  at  once  of  the 
temper  of  the  people,  their  need  and  their  hope, 
the  whole  constituting  a  commentary  on  the  land 
and  its  inhabitants  not  only  informing  but  inti- 
mate. 

It  is  a  commonplace  of  historical  criticism  that 
the  real  life  of  a  people  is  to  be  studied  best  in 
the  poetry  or  the  preaching  of  the  period.  Always 
the  true  poet  and  the  prophet  has  deeper  and 
truer  things  to  say  of  an  epoch  than  the  chronicler 
or  reporter.  The  sermons  of  John  Chrysostom 
tell  us  more  of  social  life  at  Constantinople  dur- 
ing the  fourth  century  than  do  the  records  of  the 
state ;  and  if  one  would  see  the  very  heart  of  Italy 
in  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries  it  is  not 
to  official  activities  one  would  go  but  to  the 

9 


10  FOREWORD 

poetry  of  Dante  and  the  preaching  of  Savonarola. 
The  subtle  and  complex  spirit  of  the  nineteenth 
century  has  been  reflected  with  greater  fulness 
and  with  keener  discrimination  in  the  poetry  of 
Tennyson  and  Browning,  in  the  preaching  of 
Maurice  and  Newman  than  in  the  records  and 
memoirs  of  contemporary  historians. 

It  is  a  true  instinct,  therefore,  that  leads  the 
editor  to  give  the  pulpit  of  his  Pacific  Northwest 
a  central  place  in  the  record. 

The  true  prophet  is  first  of  all  a  seer;  it  is  his 
to  penetrate  beneath  the  surface  of  things  and 
read  the  inner  life  of  a  people.  Only  thus  could 
he  minister  to  his  age.  The  things  that  lie  on  the 
surface  are  not  the  main  concern  of  life,  though 
from  the  attention  they  receive  and  the  notice 
they  compel  one  might  be  tempted  to  think  other- 
wise. Sometimes  it  would  seem  as  if  such  things 
were  not  even  symptoms.  People  seem  to  have  a 
passion  for  show  and  pleasure  and  dissipation  and 
the  acquisition  of  great  wealth ;  while  all  the  time 
the  real  hunger  of  the  heart  is  for  purity,  power, 
and  peace,  if  only  some  one  were  able  to  interpret 
them  to  themselves.  Our  own  age  is  often  de- 
scribed as  irreligious.  Nothing  could  be  more 
misleading.  The  immense  number  of  religions 
and  quasi-religious  cults  is  indicative  not  of  an 
irreligious,  but  of  a  religious  age,  bewildered  and 
vagrant  if  you  will,  but  seriously  and  positively 
religious. 

The  sermons  in  the  present  volume  witness  to 


FOREWORD  11 

this  temper  on  the  part  of  the  people  of  this  new 
and  growing  Empire.  One  finds  reflected  in  them 
the  restlessness,  the  capriciousness,  the  wanton- 
ness of  a  vital  and  vigorous  and  even  self-willed 
people;  and  finds  also  that  beneath  the  disquiet- 
ing surface  is  a  soundness  of  heart,  a  capacity 
for  sober  afterthought,  a  loyalty  to  the  things 
that  are  true,  worthy,  and  of  good  report,  an 
exuberant  unselfishness,  a  genuine  if  unconven- 
tional spirit  of  reverence,  a  pronounced  and  en- 
viable spirit  of  brotherly  kindness,  a  readiness  of 
response  to  spiritual  appeal,  and  a  sensitiveness 
to  ethical  demands — ample  proof,  if  proof  were 
needed,  of  a  manhood  and  womanhood  healthy, 
robust,  and  vigorous,  the  material  out  of  which 
alone  a  great  and  noble  State  can  come. 

Moreover  the  sermons  are  in  evidence  as  to  the 
nature  of  this  people's  faith.  Differing  widely  in 
the  manner  of  presentation  they  are  one  in  this: 
the  informing  spirit  throughout  is  that  of  the 
New  Testament  evangel.  There  is  neither  doubt 
nor  uncertainty,  neither  logical  nor  rhetorical 
quibbling;  the  note  is  clear  and  steady,  convinc- 
ing, and  compelling — the  hope  of  the  world  is 
Christ,  the  living  Christ,  the  exalted  Christ,  who 
having  been  lifted  up  draws  all  men  unto  himself. 
There  is  much  plain  speaking,  as  there  ought  to 
be;  the  sins  of  society  are  diagnosed  with  un- 
sparing frankness ;  the  way  of  the  cross  is  neither 
obscured  nor  belittled;  contrition,  repentance, 
belief,  obedience,  the  clean  life,  the  life  in  the 


12  FOREWORD 

Spirit — these  are  the  central  and  recurring 
themes  stated  with  apostolic  simplicity,  candor, 
and  brotherly  kindness. 

The  book  reveals  the  life  of  our  people  in  this 
region,  while  it  is  also  a  tribute  to  their  worth. 
The  editor  has  rendered  lasting  service  to  the 
whole  church  by  putting  in  such  accessible  form 
a  transcript  of  life  at  once  so  illuminating  and 
so  intimate. 

CHARLES  M.  STUART. 

President  Garrett  Biblical  Institute. 
Evanston,  Illinois,  April  10,  1915. 


INTRODUCTION 
PAUL  LITTLE 

A  FEW  words  will  suffice  to  account  for  THE 
PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT.  For  the  past 
twelve  years  the  writer  has  been  a  zealous 
student  of  the  workings  of  Methodism — its  legis- 
lative proceedings,  its  polity,  its  doctrine,  and 
its  growth.  A  careful  study  of  scores  of  Annual 
Conference  Journals  and  of  many  church  publi- 
cations has  convinced  him  that  this  great  and 
grand  Pacific  Northwest  is  but  very  little  heard 
from.  The  church  in  general  has  a  rather  vague 
conception  of  her  real  problems  and  the  men  who 
are  heroically  working  them  out.  We  venture  to 
say  that  even  the  church  boards  have  but  a  meager 
idea  of  the  needs  in  this  vast  territory.  And 
why?  Are  they  not  appropriating  tens  of  thou- 
sands of  dollars  annually  ?  Do  they  not  visit  each 
Annual  Conference  and  thus  get  in  touch  with 
our  problems  ?  Does  not  the  Board  of  Home  Mis- 
'sions  and  Church  Extension  receive  the  sanction 
of  the  local  Conference  boards  ere  it  sends  any 
money  for  any  church?  Does  not  the  Board  of 
Sunday  Schools  receive  frequent  reports  from  the 
Conference  Sunday  school  superintendents  as  to 
their  work?  We  say,  "Yes"  to  all  these.  But  O, 

13 


14  INTRODUCTION 

how  little  all  these  convey  of  our  real  tasks  and 
problems ! 

In  the  territory  covered  by  this  book  we  have 
four  States — Oregon,  Washington,  Idaho,  and 
Montana.  These  States  contain  396,711  square 
miles,  which  is  larger  by  4,156  square  miles  than 
the  sixteen  Eastern  States  reaching  from  Maine 
to  Florida. 

According  to  the  census  of  1910,  the  population 
in  this  region  was  only  2,516,402,  whereas  in  the 
Eastern  group  they  had  35,121,478,  or  32,605,076 
more  people  than  we  had.  Now  a  word  relative 
to  the  religious  census.  According  to  our  Con- 
ference Journals  of  1914,  in  this  immense  section 
we  had  only  6  Conferences  (Oregon,  Puget  Sound, 
Columbia  Kiver,  Idaho,  Montana,  and  North 
Montana),  22  districts,  836  churches  (an  average 
of  38  to  a  district),  3,617  probationers,  7,545  non- 
resident and  81,081  resident  members,  or  a  total 
of  92,243  members.  Will  you  be  surprised  when 
you  are  told  that  there  is  one  Conference  in  Meth- 
odism which  has  more  churches  and  church  mem- 
bers than  this  vast  empire  which  is  larger  than 
sixteen  Eastern  States  combined? 

The  North-East  Ohio  Conference  has  862 
churches,  10  districts  (average  of  86  to  the  dis- 
trict), 2,968  probationers,  6,895  nonresident,  and 
145,889  resident  members,  or  a  total  of  155,742. 
Thus  you  see  it  has  27  more  churches  and  63,499 
more  members.  What  meaneth  all  this?  Simply 
this,  that  if  Methodism  is  to  be  a  dominant  factor 


INTRODUCTION  15 

in  the  life  and  activity  of  this  great  empire  within 
the  next  twenty-five  years,  she  must  begin  to  build 
wisely  now  by  having  proper  supervision  in  every 
department  of  church  work.  We  now  have  only 
three  struggling  colleges  and  three  hospitals,  but 
who  knows  how  many  schools  and  hospitals  we 
shall  have  in  the  next  quarter  of  a  century  if 
Methodism  is  awake  to  her  opportunities! 

We  now  have  just  about  two  and  a  half  million 
inhabitants  in  this  section,  but  who  knows  when 
the  European  war  ceases  and  the  teeming  millions 
shall  migrate  to  the  land  of  peace  and  plenty  and 
seek  homesteads  in  the  rich  hills  and  valleys  of 
this  Pacific  Northwest  but  that  we  shall  have 
twenty  million  population  in  the  next  thirty 
years !  Thus  the  solution  of  our  varied  problems 
thirty  years  hence  will  depend  largely  upon  the 
solution  of  our  problems  now.  And  as  our  task 
is  vast  and  comprehensive,  we  need  in  our  ranks 
broad-minded  ministers  and  laymen;  men  with 
large  views  and  broad  sympathies;  Methodism 
needs  men  whose  minds  half  an  idea  cannot 
satisfy,  in  whose  souls  half  a  world  would  leave  a 
vacuum;  whose  philanthropy  reaches  more  than 
one  caste  or  color;  who  will  find  in  every  person 
a  child  of  the  same  Great  Father.  This  being  pre- 
eminently a  practical  age,  what  we  need  to-day 
is  not  so  much  those  good  men  who  mourn  over 
our  State  or  national  degeneracy  and  fast  over 
our  national  sins,  as  those  better  men  who  will 
rise  up  from  their  fasts  and  prayers  and  go  forth 


16  INTRODUCTION 

and  work  for  the  reformation  of  our  morals  and 
the  securing  through  practical  righteousness  of 
our  national  well-being. 

As  this  immense  Pacific  Northwest  is  now  only 
in  the  making  and  building,  it  requires  men  of 
true  and  tried  courage,  men  who  dare  to  do  right 
and  stand  by  the  right ;  men  who  neither  fear  to 
explode  an  old  dogma  though  adored  for  centuries 
if  it  be  erroneous,  nor  to  stand  by  an  old  custom 
against  a  world,  if  it  be  honorable  and  truthful. 
Men  who  are  not  afraid  to  tear  the  religious 
visor  from  the  face  of  a  false  reform,  nor  to  turn 
their  backs  on  the  old  Sphinx  of  conservatism  in 
the  direction  of  a  true  progress ;  men  who,  under- 
standing what  is  best  for  man's  welfare  and 
God's  glory,  will  do  their  duty  earnestly,  boldly, 
and  manfully,  leaving  God  Almighty  to  take  care 
of  their  reputations. 

True,  Methodism  has  had  a  glorious  past,  but 
we  are  not  to  be  satisfied  with  what  the  ages  have 
done,  we  are  to  make  our  age  do  also.  It  is  not 
enough  that  we  read  famous  histories,  we  must 
make  our  histories  famous.  We  must  seize  the 
bright  torch  which  is  offered  us  by  the  generation 
passing  and  bear  it  forward  newly  kindled  for 
the  benefit  and  blessing  of  the  future. 

Now,  the  men  who  have  contributed  articles  for 
this  volume  are  the  manly,  practical,  progressive, 
aggressive,  and  heroic  type  herein  described- 
men  who  are  building  the  foundation  of  what  the 
future  Methodism  shall  be.  But,  thank  God,  they 


INTRODUCTION  17 

are  not  the  only  heroic  men  who  are  the  spiritual 
builders  of  this  wonderful  Pacific  Northwest  em- 
pire. There  are  many  others  unnamed  and  un- 
heralded, who  are  equally  strong  and  heroic. 

If  the  reading  of  this  volume  shall  create  in  its 
readers  a  greater  interest  in  this  Pacific  North- 
west, the  editor  will  feel  more  than  repaid  for 
having  undertaken  this  responsible  task  of  com- 
pilation. 


BISHOP  RICHARD  JOSEPH  COOKE 

RESIDENT  BISHOP,  PORTLAND,  OREGON 

Bishop  Richard  Joseph  Cooke  was  born  in  New 
York,  June  31,  1853,  graduated  from  East  Ten- 
nessee University  in  1880,  and  afterward  studied 
in  the  University  of  Berlin.  He  has  served  the 
church  in  many  important  positions,  namely,  as 
a  professor  in  and  acting  president  of  Grant  Uni- 
versity, editor  of  the  Methodist  Advocate  Jour- 
nal and  Book  Editor.  In  1912  he  was  elected 
bishop,  and  his  episcopal  residence  was  fixed  at 
Portland.  Bishop  Cooke  has  been  a  prolific 
writer,  contributing  much  to  the  literature  of  the 
church.  As  a  scholar  he  has  always  been  a  keen 
student,  and  as  a  preacher  and  orator  he  has  few 
equals  in  the  church. 


18 


THE  MOST  DANGEROUS  CLASS  IN 
AMERICA 

BISHOP  RICHARD  JOSEPH  COOKE 

"For  I  could"" wish  that  I  myself  were  anathema  from 
Christ  for  my  brethren's  sake." — Rom.  9.  3  (R.  V.). 

AT  a  critical  moment  in  the  history  of  Israel 
Moses  made  a  similar  wish.  The  patriots  are 
willing  to  die  that  their  people  may  live.  Paul 
is  a  patriot.  The  messenger  of  Christ  to  all  na- 
tions, he  still  carries  Israel  in  his  heart;  a 
traveler  in  many  lands,  he  never  forgets  the  home- 
land. The  riches  of  grace  in  Christ  Jesus  sepa- 
rating him  from  his  old  life  and  lifting  him  above 
all  earthly  desires  have  not  weaned  him  from  his 
country  nor  quenched  in  him  the  sacred  flame  of 
patriotism.  Nothing,  neither  exoneration  by  his 
countrymen  at  home  nor  persecution  by  them 
abroad  can  dampen  his  ardor  for  the  land  of  his 
fathers.  When  the  Council  of  Constance  con- 
demned the  martyr  John  Huss  to  the  flames  with 
the  declaration,  (CWe  expel  thee  from  the  church 
militant,"  Huss  cried  out,  "But  not  from  the 
church  triumphant!"  So  the  apostle  Paul,  of 
the  stock  of  Israel,  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  a 
Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews,  will  not  be  an  outcast 

19 


20         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

from  Israel,  "to  whom  pertaineth  the  adoption, 
and  the  glory,  and  the  covenants,  and  the 
giving  of  the  law,  and  the  service  of  God,  and  the 
promises ;  whose  are  the  fathers,  and  of  whom  as 
concerning  the  flesh  Christ  came,  who  is  over  all, 
God  blessed  for  ever."  For 

Breathes  there  the  man  with  soul  so  dead 
Who  never  to  himself  -has  said, 
This  is  my  own,  my  native  land! 

This  impulse  of  patriotism  seen  in  the  test  is  no 
new  experience  in  the  life  of  Saint  Paul.  The 
record  of  his  early  life  in  the  book  of  Acts  shows 
that  he  was  always  intensely  patriotic.  But  Paul, 
the  apostle  of  Jesus,  whom  he  persecuted,  is  not 
less  patriotic  than  Saul,  the  fiery  inquisitor  of 
the  Jewish  faith.  He  is  a  better  patriot.  His 
vision  is  broader,  his  understanding  clearer,  and 
his  judgment  saner.  He  sees  clear  relations  be- 
tween righteousness  and  national  integrity,  be- 
tween perpetuity  of  a  people  and  their  appre- 
hension of  the  eternal  truths  of  God,  than  he  ever 
did  before.  Hence  his  patriotism  is  more  self- 
sacrificing,  deeper,  and  more  personal.  "I  could 
wish  that  I  myself  were  separated  from  Christ, 
for  my  brethren's  sake." 

Let  us  not  forget  when  he  is  uttering  this  out- 
burst of  feelings.  He  is  writing  at  a  time  when 
all  the  results  of  sin  in  the  history  of  his  people 
are  coming  to  a  focus.  Soon  the  thunders  of 


THE  MOST  DANGEROUS  CLASS        21 

heaven,  long  delayed,  will  roll  out  the  requiem 
of  a  nation.  The  awful  curses  ever  before  them 
in  the  book  of  Deuteronomy  are  now  broadening 
over  them  ready  to  fall.  Jerusalem  is  drunk  with 
iniquity.  The  rulers  of  the  nation  have  crucified 
their  own  Messiah,  the  Son  of  God.  As  a  world- 
traveler  Paul  knows  that  in  every  nation  under 
heaven  the  Jew  is  hated,  and  there  is  no  help 
coming.  Conversant  with  the  conditions  of 
Palestine,  he  knows  that  the  iron  hand  of  Rome 
that  has  crushed  the  liberties  of  mankind  is 
tightening  its  grip  on  the  Jewish  state.  He  knows 
that  grinding  taxation  is  eating  out  the  heart  of 
the  peasantry;  that  religious  fanaticism  and  po- 
litical hatred  are  inflaming  the  masses;  that  the 
high  priests  and  rulers  of  the  people  are  divided 
among  themselves;  war  parties,  peace  parties, 
parties  of  despair,  the  shadow  of  coming  doom  is 
creeping  over  the  land.  That  terrible  cry,  "His 
blood  be  upon  us  and  our  children,"  will  soon  be 
answered,  and  the  horrors  of  Jerusalem  besieged 
shall  wring  a  cry  of  anguish  even  from  the  stony 
heart  of  Titus  the  Roman  commander.  Paul  sees 
it  all.  He  recalls  the  history  of  his  race;  their 
intended  mission,  the  wonderful  interpositions  of 
God  in  their  behalf;  their  periods  of  glory  and 
power;  their  prophets  and  priests;  the  Taber- 
nacle, Sinai,  the  temple;  he  sees  it  all,  sees  it  as 
Jesus  saw  it  when  he  wept  over  the  city,  but  he 
sees  it  all  coming  down  at  last  in  blood  and  fire 
and  vapor  of  smoke  and  everlasting  ruin;  the 


22         PACIFIC  NOKTHWEST  PULPIT 

Day  of  the  Lord  has  come;  there  is  none  to  de- 
liver! Swift  as  the  winds  come  the  "Vultures 
that  smell  decaying  empires  from  afar."  Paul 
sees  it  all,  and  in  anguish  of  soul  cries  out,  "I 
could  wish  myself  accursed  instead  for  Israel's 
sake." 

It  is  from  the  standpoint  of  Christian  patriot- 
ism that  I  would  appeal  to  patriotic  Americans, 
especially  to  the  educated,  the  well-to-do  classes, 
concerning  their  obligations  as  good  citizens, 
whether  Christians  or  not,  to  the  Church  of  God 
in  the  United  States. 

It  is  the  commonest  among  the  most  common- 
place assertions  that  no  other  nation  is  more 
highly  favored  than  our  own.  But  common  as 
it  is,  we  cannot  reflect  too  seriously  upon  that 
common  but  tremendous  platitude.  Here  is  a 
vast  territory  stretching  from  arctic  circles  to 
tropical  seas,  enjoying  all  seasons,  all  climates; 
diversified  by  hills  and  mountains  and  plains  and 
lakes  and  rivers,  and,  poured  round  all,  the  illimit- 
able oceans  which  have  become  the  highways  for 
travel  and  commerce  with  all  shores  of  Europe 
and  Asia.  The  geographical  situation  of  Pales- 
tine, lying  in  the  path  of  commerce  between  the 
east  and  the  west,  the  north  and  the  south,  was 
no  accident.  It  was  the  physical  base  for  spir- 
itual mission  to  all  nations.  Is  the- United  States 
an  accident?  Situated  in  the  midst  of  the  oceans 
between  two  continents,  and  stored  with  all  re- 
sources for  the  building  of  the  mightiest  empire 


THE  MOST  DANGEROUS  CLASS        23 

history  ever  gazed  upon,  is  this  land  a  mere  geo- 
logical upheaval  and  nothing  more  ?  And  who  can 
comprehend  the  astounding  development  of  this 
country  in  agriculture,  railroads,  mines,  towns, 
villages,  cities,  its  growth  in  population,  in  wealth, 
in  imports  and  exports?  In  ten  years  our  popu- 
lation has  increased  twenty  per  cent.  There  are 
more  than  four  billions  of  dollars  in  the  savings 
banks.  Nearly  a  billion  and  a  half  is  the  value 
of  our  manufactured  exports,  while  the  harvests 
of  our  fields  amount  in  value  to  nearly  ten  million 
dollars. 

Now,  endowed  by  heaven  with  such  richness  of 
climate  and  soil,  one  would  think  that  a  rational, 
intelligent  people  inhabiting  such  a  country, 
and  with  histories  of  other  nations  for  thousands 
of  years  behind  them  to  guide,  warn,  and  inspire 
them,  would  be  .above  all  other  people  a  God- 
honoring  people.  One  would  think  that,  because 
of  their  growth  in  imperial  greatness,  their  only 
object  of  worship  would  be  the  great  God,  the 
Creator  of  all  things ;  that  his  laws  would  be 
their  laws,  and  his  church  which  he  has  estab- 
lished in  the  earth  for  righteousness  would  be 
reverenced  above  all  institutions.  Such  I  think 
would  be  the  conclusion  of  reason. 

But  what  are  the  facts  ?  Now,  we  are  not  radir 
cally  a  bad  people.  We  are  not  a  nation  utterly 
lawless,  corrupt  in  morals,  godless  in  thought  and 
life.  The  initial  impulse-  of  the  colonial  period 
is  not  yet  wholly  exhausted.  The  influence  of  the 


24         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

Spartan-like  character  of  our  people  before  the 
Civil  War  is  not  yet  a  spent  force. 

"I  TREMBLE  FOR  MY  COUNTRY" 

Nevertheless,  no  intelligent  patriot  can  con- 
sider the  signs  of  the  times  with  complacency. 
It  does  not  follow  that,  as  the  poet  Browning 
says, 

God's  in  his  heaven — [therefore] 

All's  right  with  the  world. 

God  has  always,  been  in  his  heaven,  and  it  has  not 
always  been  "right  with  the  world."  Thomas 
Jefferson  once  exclaimed,  as  he  surveyed  the  in- 
stitution of  slavery,  "I  tremble  for  my  country 
when  I  remember  that  God  is  just."  What  would 
he  exclaim  now?  Look  back  over  the  history  of 
America,  as  Paul  scanned  the  history  of  Israel. 
Think  what  it  cost  to  realize  on  this  continent 
the  dream  of  the  ages — "a  government  of  the  peo- 
ple, by  the  people,  for  the  people";  to  establish 
civil  and  religious  liberty;  to  bring  out  of  the 
abstract  disquisitions  of  theorists  and  philoso- 
phers the  principles  of  justice,  equality  and  fra- 
ternity, and  make  them  the  foundation  stones  of 
our  social  and  political  life.  Think  of  all  this, 
and  when  the  orator,  the  philosopher,  and  the 
poet  have  glorified  our  country,  then  let  us  look 
steadily  at  the  appalling  fact  that  God  and  the 
institutions  of  God  are  becoming  practically 
divorced  from  the  life  and  the  ideals  of  the  na- 


THE  MOST  DANGEROUS  CLASS        25 

tion.  In  spite  of  all  our  supposed  culture,  our 
literature,  our  arts  and  sciences;  in  spite  of  all 
our  colleges  and  universities,  and  the  millions  ex- 
pended for  education  in  the  public  schools,  we, 
the  American  people,  lead  the  whole  world  in 
crime!  Our  annual  cost  of  crime  is  about  one 
billion  three  hundred  and  seventy-three  million 
dollars.  There  are  four  and  a  half  times  as  many 
murders  as  there  were  twenty  years  ago.  It  was 
said  by  high  authority  a  short  while  since  that 
ten  thousand  murders  are  committed  in  this 
civilized  country  of  ours  every  year.  Chicago  is 
credited  with  one  hundred  and  eighteen  murders 
a  year.  Paris  has  only  fifteen;  London,  four 
times  the  size  of  Chicago,  has  only  twenty.  One 
State  had  recently  more  murders  than  the  whole 
of  the  British  empire.  We  are  a  great  people. 
We  have  more  homicides  every  year  than  Italy, 
France,  Austria,  Belgium,  Spain,  Hungary,  Hol- 
land, Germany,  England,  Ireland,  Scotland,  and 
Wales  all  put  together. 

Is  this  not  enough  to  give  us  pause?  And  if 
we  consider  the  frightful  ravages  of  the  saloon, 
that  ceaseless  promoter  of  crime,  that  enemy  of 
God  and  man,  shall  we  not  have  ground  for  more 
than  alarm?  And,  furthermore,  if  to  this  accus- 
ing catalogue  of  national  iniquities  we  add  di- 
vorce, shall  we  not,  like  Saint  Paul,  cry  out  for 
our  country?  One  of  the  most  startling  bulletins 
ever  issued  by  the  United  States  government 
showed  that  in  a  recent  period  of  ten  years  there 


26         PACIFIC  NOKTHWEST  PULPIT 

were  one  million  divorces  in  the  United  States; 
that  is,  that  one  marriage  in  every  twelve  ends 
in  the  divorce  court. 

But  it  is  of  no  value  to  enumerate  further  our 
national  sins.  The  important  matter  is,  what 
does  all  this  mean  for  the  future  of  the  American 
people?  Shall  we  get  better  or  worse?  Does  it 
mean  the  breakdown  of  popular  government,  the 
failure  of  law?  Does  it  mean  social  chaos,  the 
radical  corruption  of  society,  the  supremacy  of 
carnal  vices  which  dried  up  the  life  blood  of  once 
morally  healthy  peoples?  I  would  not  go  that 
far.  But  I  do  think  that  the  terrible  meaning  of 
it  all  is  a  vanishing  sense  of  the  reality  of  God. 
The  Eternal  God,  so  real,  so  neighborly,  to  men  of 
yesterday,  is  becoming  an  external  x,  an  alge- 
braic sign,  an  unknowable  abstraction,  or  an  in- 
comprehensible mystery  unrelated  to  human  life, 
lost  in  infinity.  Some  time  ago  an  English  poet 
gave  us  in  a  learned  Keview  "The  Funeral  of 
God."  He  is  no  longer  the  God  of  law,  visiting 
the  iniquity  of  the  fathers  upon  their  children 
unto  the  third  and  fourth  generation  of  those  that 
hate  him,  and  showing  mercy  unto  thousands  of 
them  that  love  him  and  keep  his  commandments. 
He  is  an  absentee  God — if  there  is  any  real,  per- 
sonal God  at  all. 

This  seems  to  be  the  real,  but  as  yet  unspoken, 
meaning  of  it  all. 

And  now  as  to  the  church.  Everywhere  there 
geems  to  be  a  breakdown  of  authority.  We  see 


THE  MOST  DANGEROUS  CLASS        27 

it  in  the  home,  in  the  church,  in  the  State.  If 
you  would  hold  your  position,  have  no  convic- 
tions, do  nothing,  settle  nothing,  be  all  things  to 
all  men.  Creep,  crawl,  play  Uriah  Heep,  but  hold 
your  "job."  Seek  popularity,  though  you  line  up 
in  the  betrayal  of  your  duty  with  Judas  Iscariot. 
John  the  Baptist  lost  his  head  for  keeping  his 
conscience.  You  need  yours.  The  authority  of 
God  in  the  soul  is  set  aside  for  public  opinion, 
and  public  opinion  becomes  a  manufactured 
article  as  necessity  requires  and  money  is  forth- 
coming. Is  not  success  often  considered  the  cri- 
terion of  conduct  in  modern  life?  Is  it  not  so 
that  what  succeeds  is  right,  that  what  fails  is 
wrong?  Where  are  the  distinctions  clear  and 
gulf-wide  in  the  public  mind  and  sounding  forth 
like  the  voice  of  God  on  Sinai,  between  virtue  and 
vice,  right  and  wrong?  What  error  is  there  that 
some  ministerial  or  lay  reprobate  "will  not  adorn 
it  with  a  text  hiding  its  grossness  with  fair  orna- 
ment"? 

Men  criticize  and  wonder  at  the  feebleness  of  the 
church.  They  dwell  with  pathetic  unction  on  its 
loss  of  prestige,  its  lack  of  authority  and  saving 
power.  But,  in  all  fairness,  how  in  the  face  of 
such  conditions  can  religion,  though  the  mightiest 
force  in  human  history,  make  conquering  head- 
way? Why,  religion  itself  has  become  among 
many  a  mere  matter  of  opinion.  We  invent  some 
religious  conceit,  pray  over  it,  and  then  hand  it 
out  as  the  opinion  of  the  Almighty.  Was  there 


28         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

ever  yet  a  fraud  in  religion  that  God's  name  was 
not  forged  to  it?  Is  it  any  wonder  that  indiffer- 
ence to  the  church  has  become  in  heart-breaking 
degree  the  base  preeminence  of  more  than  one 
half  of  the  American  people?  Visit  the  churches 
in  cities  and  towns  of  over  five  thousand  popula- 
N  tion  and  behold  the  lonesome  void.  Where  are 
the  people?  Compare  the  inside  with  the  outside. 
Look  at  the  few  worshipers  there,  and  the  num- 
bers elsewhere  who,  to  their  everlasting  shame, 
never  enter  the  door  of  a  church! 

Then  behold  the  humiliating  conditions  on 
which  many  churches  are  permitted  to  exist. 
Think  of  the  pitiable  devices  sometimes  resorted 
to  in  order  to  dragoon  a  handful  of  hearers.  What 
claptrap  announcements!  What  futile  efforts  to 
rival  opera  or  cheap  vaudeville!  What  efforts  to 
entertain,  to  turn  the  house  of  God,  "mine  house 
that  shall  be  called  a  house  of  prayer,"  into  a 
competitive  picture  show,  a  baseball  club,  or  re- 
duce it  to  the  level  of  a  concert  hall!  Think  of 
the  societies  that  must  be  organized  to  eke  out 
support  for  such  shadows  of  reality,  the  increase 
of  machinery  as  the  power  of  God  decreases,  the 
ingenious  arguments  that  must  be  manufactured 
to  explain  and  defend  such  outlandish  methods ! 

THE  DECLINE  AND  FALL  OF  THE  KEPUBLIC 

What,  in  the  long  run,  will  be  the  effect  of  all 
this  on  the  American  people?  Do  you  think, 
fellow  citizens,  that  Christian  people  alone  will 


THE  MOST  DANGEROUS  CLASS        29 

suffer,  that  the  American  people  outside  the 
churches  will  be  in  no  wise  affected  ?  Nay !  Nay ! 
Nationally  "we  are  all  members  one  of  another." 
The  result,  certain  as  the  law  of  gravity,  will  be 
and  can  only  be  moral  degeneracy,  social  disinte- 
gration, national  weakness.  No  nation  ever  ex- 
isted that  was  not  based  on  religion.  As  religion 
died  the  nation  died.  No  nation  can  ever  endure 
that  eliminates  God  from  its  corporate  life.  The 
sands  of  Egypt,  the  lonely  mounds  of  Babylonia, 
the  ruins  of  Baalbec  and  Palmyra,  of  Forum 
and  Areopagus — yea,  the  voices  of  thousands  of 
years,  sound  out  like  fire  bells  at  midnight  the 
warning  that  the  nation  that  forgets  God  shall 
perish.  The  Jewish  state  of  Paul's  day  was  a 
long  time  ripening  to  its  fall.  Judgment  comes 
as  the  twilight  comes,  as  the  slowly  gathering 
night  comes,  ~but  it  comes! 

Do  we  believe  this?  Will  a  traveler  from  the 
interior  of  Tibet  ever  sit  on  the  shores  of  the 
Pacific  and  write  the  decline  and  fall  of  the 
American  republic?  Imagine  a  fashionable  Ro- 
man in  the  splendid  days  of  Augustus  ever  dream- 
ing that  in  days  to  come  a  barbarian  from  savage 
Britain  would  sit  amid  the  ruins  of  the  Capitol 
and  sketch  the  departed  glories  of  "the  grandeur 
that  was  Rome" ! 

We  laugh  incredulously,  as  godless  people  have 
always  laughed,  at  such  preaching  when  we  think 
of  our  self-sufficiency,  our  resources,  our  inven- 
tions, our  science,  our  guns  and  battleships,  our 


30         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

wealth,  our  crops  and  national  credit;  or  we 
boast  of  our  intellectual  grade,  our  ethical  and 
political  reserve  power  resident  in  the  people  and 
independent  of  the  church.  But  are  we  the  only 
people  that  ever  boasted  of  power?  Are  we  blind 
to  the  fact  that  all  power  comes  from  God? 
While  we  put  our  trust  in  physical  forces  have 
we  any  real  sense  of  our  weakness?  Let  us  not 
forget  that  the  moral  forces  of  the  universe  may 
in  turn  laugh  at  us!  Let  us  not  forget  that  as 
there  is  stored  up  physical  force,  inconceivable 
energy,  in  the  material  elements  about  us  tftat 
can  make  them  explode  and  melt  with  fervent 
heat,  so  there  are  stored  up  in  human  society  it- 
self— in  the  people  themselves — the  dynamic 
agencies  for  their  own  destruction.  Out  of  them- 
selves, out  of  their  infidelity,  out  of  their  vices 
and  falsehoods  and  chicaneries,  out  of  their  so- 
cial hungers  and  political  needs — out  of  them- 
selves— can  come  social  and  political  conflagra- 
tions that  will  make  the  world  turn  pale.  There 
are  passions  latent  but  terrible  in  the  people; 
passions  as  fierce  as  ever  blazed  in  the  days  of  the 
French  Revolution,  or  in  the  Homestead  riots  and 
frenzied  mobs  in  our  own  country;  hatred  of 
class,  antagonism  to  law,  envy  of  wealth,  discon- 
tent with  industrial  conditions — forces  which  if 
once  turned  loose  may  sweep  as  with  the  blasting 
breath  of  a  furnace  our  present  social  order  and 
industrial  system  from  the  face  of  the  earth  and 
"leave  not  a  rock  behind." 


THE  MOST  DANGEROUS  CLASS        31 

For,  if  there  is  no  God,  if  the  people  are  taught 
by  word  and  example  to  ignore  him,  if  there  is 
no  divine  sanction  for  human  laws,  but  all  are  the 
product  of  physical  evolution ;  if  right  and  wrong 
are  synonymous  with  success  or  failure,  why 
should  not  might  be  right?  Why  should  men 
obey  laws  that  restrain  them?  For  the  sake  of 
the  greater  happiness,  as  godless  economists 
teach?  But  whose  happiness,  the  many  or  the 
few  ?  Why  should  not  every  man,  by  every  primi- 
tive law  of  nature,  burn,  slay,  plunder,  and  de- 
stroy with  tooth  and  claw  to  obtain  for  himself 
the  good  things  of  this  life?  Who  will  restrain 
him  and  by  what  right?  God?  There  is  no  God. 
Law  ?  Who  made  it  ?  Society  ?  What  is  society, 
and  what  is  it  for,  and  by  what  authority  will  it 
restrain?  Must  the  toiler  forever  toil?  the  poor 
forever  remain  poor?  the  hungry  be  forever  hun- 
gry? Must  the  few  forever  banquet  on  the  high 
places  of  the  earth,  and  clothe  themselves  in  soft 
raiment,  while  the  millions  forever  struggle  even 
to  live?  Ah!  If  the  petty  troubles  of  to-day,  if 
unionism,  industrialism,  strikes,  Sherman  acts, 
weary  the  nation,  "What  will  ye  do  in  the  swell- 
ing of  Jordan?" 

WHO  Is  TO  BLAME? 

But  who  will  be  responsible  for  such  condi- 
tions? Who  is  responsible  now  for  this  moral 
apathy,  this  indifference  to  the  church  in  the 
United  States?  Is  it  the  church  itself?  No. 


32         PACIFIC  NOKTHWEST  PULPIT 

Never  was  the  church  less  blameless,  never  was 
the  church  more  faithful  to  God  and  to  man,  than 
at  this  present  time.  Never  did  it  more  clearly 
see  the  needs  of  the  world,  and  more  gloriously 
abandon  itself  to  the  ministry  of  these  needs. 

Is  it  the  wage-earners  who  seldom  go  to  church  ? 
Is  it  the  sullen,  intractable  crowd,  strangers  to 
all  spiritualizing  influence,  but  ever  ready  for  so- 
cial upheaval?  Is  it  the  coarse  illiterate,  the 
utterly  godless,  who  snarl  at  religion  and  de- 
cency? No.  These  are  not  the  dangerous  classes 
in  America.  Not  just  yet.  Their  brutal  antago- 
nism is  too  crude  to  be  most  dangerous  to  existing 
institutions.  The  most  dangerous  enemy  to  the 
existing  order  is  not  the  foe  that  is  physical  at 
all.  The  enemy  -that  is  visible,  the  antagonism 
that  can  be  seen  and  provided  against  by  physical 
force,  may  be  overcome.  But  who  can  provide 
against  the  intangible?  Who  can  provide  against 
the  terror  of  the  night  and  the  pestilence  that 
walketh  at  noonday?  No!  The  most  dangerous 
class  in  America  is  that  class  of  people  who,  hav- 
ing acquired  wealth,  great  or  small,  turn  their 
backs  upon  the  Church  of  God,  and,  renouncing 
all  obligations  to  God  and  his  church,  deliberately 
abandon  themselves  to  carnal  enjoyments  of 
luxury  and  ease.  What  is  it  to  them  that  the 
civilization  they  enjoy,  the  social  order,  the  se- 
curity of  life  and  property,  of  which  they  are  the 
beneficiaries,  the  very  atmosphere  of  their  social 
and  civil  life,  are  all  in  their  origin  the  product  of 


THE  MOST  DANGEROUS  CLASS        33 

Christian  centuries?  They  are  willing  to  bask 
in  the  light  and  warmth  of  the  sun,  but  they  ig- 
nore the  sun ;  to  such  there  is  practically  no  God, 
no  church,  no  country.  They  have  no  sense  of 
obligation  to  either  God,  or  church,  or  country, 
for  the  pleasures  and  benefits  they  enjoy.  Their 
sole  interest  is  selfish  surrender  to  the  refine- 
ments of  social  life  or  the  glittering  allurements 
of  the  passing  show. 

But  what  a  dangerous  life  such  a  life  is  to  those 
who  live  it  and  to  the  social  order  of  which  they 
are  members!  Such  people  forget  that  even  for 
them  practical  atheism  is  the  most  colossal 
blunder.  Dethrone  God  and  you  enthrone 
anarchy.  They  forget  that  it  is  better  to  have 
God  without  luxury  than  to  have  luxury  without 
God,  for  in  due  time  they  will  have  neither.  And 
as  for  the  state,  they  forget  that  while  despotism 
supported  by  guns  and  bayonets,  and  even  the 
rule  of  mobocracy,  may  exist  for  a  while  without 
God,  political  liberty  and  social  order  never  did 
and  never  can. 

WHAT  EVIL  EXAMPLE  MAY  Do 

But  what  makes  this  class  of  people  so 
dangerous?  Wherein  is  their  power  for  evil? 
Their  evil  power  is  their  evil  example.  Example 
is  the  mightiest  power  in  the  universe.  There  is 
no  teaching  so  subtle,  none  so  penetrating,  so 
suggestive,  so  simple,  so  effective,  as  example. 
One  example  is  better  than  a  thousand  precepts. 


34         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

Example  teaches,  enforces,  illustrates,  suggests, 
demonstrates,  fires  the  imagination,  quickens 
emulation,  and  overcomes  all  arguments  and  all 
fears  by  the  sheer  force  of  its  irresistible  appeal. 
It  was  the  example  of  Christ  that  created  new 
ideals  and  founded  a  new  world  for  humanity. 
It  was  the  example  of  saints  and  martyrs  and 
heroes  of  the  faith  that  established  the  church  on 
the  ruins  of  empire.  And  what  shall  we  say  of 
the  heroes  and  heroines  of  our  own  country,  the 
founders  of  our  political  freedom,  the  sublime  ex- 
ample of  the  defenders  and  founders  of  liberty 
in  all  lands!  Example  is  the  mightiest  force  in 
the  universe. 

It  is  the  evil  power,  then,  of  the  example  of 
those  who  ignore  the  church  that  makes  them  so 
dangerous  to  our  social  order  and  political  in- 
stitutions. They  are  the  fashion-makers.  They 
are  among  the  exponents  of  American  ideas,  of 
respectability,  of  education  and  culture.  They 
create  intellectual  climates,  social  climates,  anti- 
Christian  atmospheres.  They  create  opinion. 
They  set  the  pace  and  suggest  the  mental  atti- 
tude of  the  imitative  masses  who  look  up  to  them 
and  try  to  imitate  them.  They  present  a  false 
but  practical  illustration  of  how  men  may  ignore 
God  and  still  prosper.  They  ignore  the  church, 
and  by  example  teach  others  to  do  likewise. 

They  forget  that  God  is  the  strength  of  the 
American  republic,  that  in  ignoring  him  and  his 
church,  the  pillar  of  the  nation,  they  betray  their 


THE  MOST  DANGEROUS  CLASS        35 

country.    They  never  think  of  consequences.    But 
their  example  is  their  treason. 

In  the  continental  United  States  there  are 
ninety-one  million  people.  In  all  denominations 
of  Christians  there  are  thirty-five  million.  Where 
are  the  other  fifty-six  million?  With  exceptions, 
where  in  the  churches  in  proportion  to  their 
number  are  the  leaders  of  industry,  leaders  in 
finance,  manufacturers,  merchants,  leaders  of 
commerce,  statesmen,  scientists,  men  of  letters, 
artists,  men  of  affairs  prominent  in  every  walk 
of  life?  Do  they  throng  the  churches?  Where 
are  the  so-called  society  people?  Do  they  throng 
the  churches?  Do  they  Create  by  their  example  a 
church-going  habit?  These  influential  people  do 
not  throng  the  churches.  They  do  not  represent 
nor  do  they  align  themselves  with  the  church  as 
they  do  with  interests  commercial,  social,  politi- 
cal. Do  they  throw  their  powerful  influence  on 
the  side  of  the  church  against  drink,  divorce, 
heathenish  Sabbath,  industrial  wrong,  and  social 
vice  in  every  form,  against  the  slum,  against  the 
practical  atheism  of  the  millions  who  look  up  to 
them  and  consciously  or  unconsciously  imitate 
their  example,  their  follies,  and  their  crimes,  but 
ignore  their  virtues?  Thousands,  let  it  be  said, 
of  the  most  cultured,  the  most  intellectual,  the 
most  successful  men,  merchants,  leaders  in  finance 
world-builders — workers  and  thinkers  in  every 
field  of  human  activity — do  go  to  church,  and 
they  do  stand  out  in  forceful  way  for  all  that  the 


36         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

church    stands    for,    but    thousands    multiplied 
never  do — they  never  go  to  church. 

THE  REIGN  OF  MIGHT 

These  are  the  people  who  are  responsible  for 
much  of  the  breakdown  in  the  moral  life  of 
America — the  people  who  never  go  to  church. 
They  are  the  apostles  of  materialism.  They  de- 
spiritualize  life,  they  destroy  the  noblest  ideals. 
They  surrender  all  to  the  flesh,  to  the  material, 
to  the  life  that  is  earthy,  and  by  their  example 
teach  men  so.  By  their  example  they  teach  the 
unnumbered  thousands  of  men  in  their  employ 
that  the  church  is  not  a  necessity.  Is  it  any 
wonder,  then,  that  millions  of  workingmen  never 
go  to  church?  It  is  no  wonder.  Nor  is  it  any 
wonder  that  in  times  of  industrial  warfare, 
strikes,  and  lockouts,  the  brutal  and  lawless  in- 
stincts of  unspiritualized  man  should  spring  into 
life  with  the  ferocity  of  the  beast.  Striking  mobs 
are  lawless.  Who  made  them  lawless  ?  They  are 
terrible  and  destructive,  brutal  and  vindictive. 
Who  made  them  so?  Who  set  the  example  of 
contempt  for  law,  human  and  divine?  Who  led 
them  away  by  example  from  spiritulizing  forces, 
from  refining  influences,  from  habits  of  reverence, 
from  the  influence  of  religion  upon  the  human 
spirit?  Who  showed  them  how  to  forget  God? 
Who  taught  them  that  not  God  but  gold  is  might, 
and  might  is  right?  Well,  you  taught  well.  They 
have  learned  their  lesson.  For  the  songs  of  the 


THE  MOST  DANGEROUS  CLASS        37 

church  they  are  singing  the  songs  of  the  coming 
revolution.  In  conventions  and  chapels  and 
lodges  they  are  singing 

"Might  was,  is,  and  e'er  will  be 

The  one  and  only  Right, 
And  so,  O  hosts  of  Toil  awaken! 

O  workingmen  unite! 
Unite!  Unite!     For  Might  is  Right, 

'Tis  Freedom's  only  way, 
'Tis  the  logic  of  the  Ancient  World 

And  the  Gospel  of  to-day." 

You  set  at  naught  the  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God, 
and  you  get  instead  the  gospel  of  the  brute. 
These  millions  taught  by  your  example  will  in 
due  time  also  ignore  the  religion  you  now  ignore. 
And  what  then?  In  due  time  they  too  will  smile 
at  the  rewards  of  heaven  and  the  fear  of  hell.  In 
due  time  this  people  who  have  by  your  example 
lost  their  God  and  flung  away  their  heaven  will 
claim  the  earth  and  all  there  is  in  it.  And  why 
not? 

THE  Loss  TO  THE  CHURCH 

But  look  for  a  moment  on  another  side  of  this 
subject.  Consider  in  all  its  magnitude,  if  you 
can,  the  loss  to  the  church  and  to  the  moral  char- 
acter and  energy  of  the  nation  that  is  represented 
by  the  loss  of  those  who  never  go  to  church.  What 
a  loss  is  here  to  society  to  every  good  cause,  to 
every  high  and  holy  purpose  of  the  best  citizens, 
to  the  lofty  patriotism  of  the  best  men  and  women 


38         PACIFIC  NOKTHWEST  PULPIT 

of  America!  What  rivers  of  rejuvenating  energy 
would  pour  through  all  channels  of  our  social, 
political,  and  religious  life  if  this  element  stood 
with  the  church  and  for  the  church!  Keen- 
forced  by  the  intellectual  power,  the  spiritualized 
moral  sense,  and  the  personal  influence  of  the 
educated  but  non-churchgoing  masses  of  America, 
the  church  could  destroy  the  slum,  the  breeding 
place  of  crime;  it  could  annihilate  the  drink 
traffic,  purify  the  theater,  art,  and  the  literature 
of  pornocracy,  elevate  the  whole  moral  tone  of 
society,  and  ennoble  human  life  to  a  degree  that 
would  gladden  the  heart  of  God. 

My  appeal,  then,  is  to  this  element  in  American 
life.  From  the  standpoint  of  patriotism  alone,  if 
it  must  be,  the  appeal  is  to  these  men  to  do  their 
duty.  Every  good  citizen  owes  something  to  his 
country.  You  owe  something  to  the  moral  wel- 
fare of  the  state,  since  without  morals  there 
would  be  no  state.  You  owe  it  to  yourselves.  You 
owe  it  to  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  working- 
men  in  your  employ.  You  owe  it  to  yourselves 
to  line  up  with  the  best  for  the  best — to  recognize 
the  Sabbath  of  God  and  go  to  church !  That  you 
are  not  Christians  or  believers  in  Christianity 
does  not  cancel  your  obligations.  The  church  has 
made  you  what  you  are — a  civilized  being.  You 
owe  something  to  the  state,  and  you  have  no  right 
to  weaken  by  your  example  the  pillars  of  the 
state.  You  are  not  called  upon  to  believe  against 
conviction,  or  to  indorse  the  opinions  of  the  pul- 


THE  MOST  DANGEROUS  CLASS        39 

pit.  You  are  not  compelled  or  invited  to  unite 
with  the  church  without  the  experience  of  the 
church  because  you  go  to  church;  but  you  are 
called  upon  to  honor  the  majesty  of  God,  to  re- 
spect his  institutions  and  his  laws.  You  are 
called  upon  to  contribute  by  your  example  to  the 
moral  health  of  society,  to  the  preservation  of 
law  and  order,  to  the  growth  of  reverence  for  the 
sanctities  of  life.  This  is  your  duty. 

And  who  knows  but  that  by  the  unexpected 
opening  of  some  window  in  your  soul  you  may  see, 
as  a  far  away  mountain  peak  lifting  his  snowy 
crown  of  glory  into  the  infinite  blue,  the  eternal 
truth  of  God,  and  "rise  upon  the  stepping  stones 
of  your  dead  selves  to  higher  things"  than  the 
gross  materialism  of  a  godless  life.  It  is  quite 
possible  that  you  may  see  the  real  church  through 
the  earthly  building.  You  may  see  the  multitudes 
which  no  man  can  number  of  all  the  ages,  the 
highest  and  holiest  of  all  the  centuries,  and,  like 
Bunyan,  looking  wistfully  at  the  holy  ones  enter- 
ing the  celestial  city,  wish  yourself  among  them. 
As  a  recent  dramatist  makes  one  of  his  characters 
say :  "Some  people  never  see  it  at  all.  [That  is, 
the  spiritual  church.]  You  must  understand, 
this  is  no  dead  pile  of  stones  and  unmeaning 
timber.  It  is  a  living  tMng.  When  you  enter  it 
you  hear  a  sound — a  sound  as  of  some  mighty 
poem  chanted.  Listen  long  enough,  and  you  will 
learn  that  it  is  made  up  of  the  beating  of  human 
hearts,  of  the  nameless  music  of  men's  souls— 


40         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

that  is,  if  you  have  ears.  If  you  have  eyes,  you 
will  presently  see  the  church  itself — a  looming 
mystery  of  many  shapes  and  shadows  leaping 
sheer  from  floor  to  dome.  The  work  of  no  ordi- 
nary builder!  The  pillars  of  it  go  up  like  the 
brawny  trunks  of  heroes;  the  sweet  human  flesh 
of  men  and  women  is  molded  about  its  bulwarks, 
strong,  impregnable;  the  faces  of  little  children 
laugh  out  from  every  corner  stone;  the  terrible 
spans  and  arches  of  it  are  the  joined  hands  of 
comrades ;  and  up  in  the  heights  and  spaces  there 
are  inscribed  the  numberless  musings  of  all  the 
dreamers  of  the  world.  It  is  yet  building — build- 
ing and  built  upon.  Sometimes  the  work  goes 
forward  in  deep  darkness;  sometimes  in  blinding 
light;  now  beneath  the  burden  of  unutterable  an- 
guish, now  to  the  tune  of  great  laughter  and 
heroic  shoutings  like  thie  cry  of  thunder.  Some- 
times, in  the  silence  of  the  nighttime,  one  may 
hear  the  tiny  hammerings  of  the  comrades  at 
work  up  in  the  dome — the  comrades  that  have 
climbed  ahead." 

Would  you  join  these  comrades  in  building  the 
kingdom  of  God,  join  hands  with  the  noblest 
workers  and  thinkers  who  are  building  the  king- 
dom of  God? 

COURAGE,  O  CHURCH  OF  THE  LIVING  GOD 

And  now  to  you  who  honor  your  Lord  and  seek 
him  in  his  holy  temple,  and  who  therefore  love 
your  country  with  more  intelligent  devotion, 


THE  MOST  DANGEROUS  CLASS        41 

never  despair  of  religion  or  of  the  church.  Never 
despair  of  religion.  It  will  never  die.  "Hast  thou 
not  known,"  says  the  prophet  Isaiah,  "hast  thou 
not  heard,  that  the  everlasting  God,  the  Lord,  the 
Creator  of  the  ends  of  the  earth,  fainteth  not, 
neither  is  weary?  There  is  no  searching  of  his 
understanding.  He  giveth  power  to  the  faint; 
and  to  them  that  have  no  might  he  increaseth 
strength.  Even  the  youths  shall  faint  and  be 
weary,  and  the  young  men  shall  utterly  fall :  But 
they  that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their 
strength;  they  shall  mount  up  with  wings  as 
eagles ;  they  shall  run  and  not  be  weary ;  and  they 
shall  walk,  and  not  faint." 

Never  despair  of  religion.  Never  despair  of  the 
church.  The  eternal  years  of  God  are  hers. 
"Upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  church,  and  the 
gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it."  It  is 
now  the  church  militant,  subject  to  the  fluctua- 
tions of  the  battlefield.  To-morrow  it  will  be  the 
church  triumphant.  With  all  its  drawback  it  is 
ever  advancing.  Where  the  vanguard  camps  to- 
day, the  rear  guard  camps  to-morrow.  The  sun 
will  never  go  down  on  the  Church  of  God! 

As  some  tall  cliff  that  lifts  its  awful  form, 
Swells  from  the  vale  and  midway  leaves  the  storm, 
Tho'  round  its  breast  the  rolling  clouds  are  spread, 
Eternal  sunshine  settles  on  its  head. 

Hear  the  cry  of  the  apostle  for  Ms  country. 
Lift  a  prayer  for  your  own. 


PART  II 

PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  CONFERENCES 
I.  OREGON 


CARL  GREGG  DONEY 

PRESIDENT  WILLAMETTE  UNIVERSITY,  SALEM, 
OREGON 

Carl  G.  Doney  was  born  near  Columbus,  Ohio, 
June  24,  1867,  and  received  his  education  in  the 
following  schools:  Ohio  State  University  (B.Sc., 
1891;  LL.B.,  1893;  Ph.D.,  1902)  ;  Ohio  Wesleyan 
University  (M.A.,  1899).  Harvard  University 
(Postgraduate  in  Philosophy,  1891-92).  He  trav- 
eled in  Europe  and  the  Orient  in  1913-1914.  Dr. 
Doney  entered  the  ministry  in  October,  1893,  and 
has  held  the  following  pastorates:  Bainbridge, 
Ohio,  1893-95;  Centenary  Church,  Granville, 
Ohio,  1895-98;  Saint  Paul's,  Delaware,  Ohio,  1898- 
1900;  King  Avenue,  Columbus,  Ohio,  1900-1905; 
Hamline,  Washington,  D.  C.,  1905-1907.  He  ,ras 
president  of  West  Virginia  Wesleyan  College 
from  1907  to  1915.  During  his  presidency  a  debt 
of  over  |80,000  was  raised,  the  endowment  almost 
doubled,  and  the  enrollment  of  college  students 
increased  to  five  times  the  number  it  was  when  he 
became  president.  He  is  the  author  of  The 
Throne  Room  of  the  Soul  and  The  Efficient 
Church.  He  is  a  frequent  contributor  to  the 
Methodist  Review,  The  American  Magazine,  and 
other  periodicals.  At  the  spring  meeting  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  he  was  elected  to  the  presi- 
dency of  Willamette  University. 


44 


FISHERMAN  OE  SHEPHERD 

PRESIDENT  CARL  GREGG  DONEY 
"Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Feed  my  sheep." — John  21.  17. 

Two  events  in  the  life  of  Peter  throw  light  upon 
this  text.  The  one  took  place  as  he  began  his 
fellowship  with  Jesus,  and  the  other  at  its  earthly 
termination ;  the  one  was  the  call  to  vocation,  the 
other  was  the  consecration  of  a  life. 

The  expected  but  unrecognized  Messiah  had  ap- 
peared. His  birth  was  attended  by  angelic  wel- 
come, by  the  visit  and  gifts  of  the  wise  men,  by 
the  fear  and  strategy  of  a  wicked  king.  Three 
decades  passed  by  before  the  strange  Child,  now 
a  baptized  man,  began  his  work.  There  on  the 
seashore  he  stands  in  the  midst  of  fishermen. 
They  are  laboring  men,  busy  in  seeking  a  hard 
livelihood,  valuing  their  boats  and  nets  and  fish. 
Peter  is  one  of  them,  and  to  him  Jesus  says, 
"Come  ye  after  me,"  and  the  fisherman  leaves  his 
material  wealth  to  become  the  companion  of  a 
wandering  Stranger. 

For  three  years  Peter  was  the  follower  of 
Jesus;  now  close  to  his  heart,  now  afar  off;  a 
brave  man  and  a  coward;  a  defender  and  a 
denier;  sweeping  the  gamut  of  hope  and  fear,  of 

45 


46         PACIFIC  NOKTHWEST  PULPIT 

loyalty  and  desertion,  of  sacrifice  and  ambition. 
He  had  seen  Jesus  transfigured  and  witnesses  his 
humiliation.  He  had  bravely  said,  "Thou  art  the 
Christ,"  while  others  denounced  him;  later  he 
had  seen  him  on  the  cross  and  had  beheld  his 
resurrection. 

And  after  all  this  Peter  is  back  there  on  the 
seashore  with  his  boats  and  nets  and  fishing.  He 
had  grown  tired  of  waiting;  something  was  lack- 
ing: his  faith  may  have  weakened  or  hope  may 
have  died  out.  At  any  rate,  he  tarried  with  up- 
turned, expectant  face  no  longer;  and  instead  he 
went  back  to  drudgery  and  the  old  task.  Once 
more  he  is  on  the  shore  facing  the  strange  Man 
who  now  tenderly  asks,  "Peter,  do  you  love  me  ? — 
love  me? — love  me?"  "Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Feed 
my  sheep,"  and  Peter  turns  a  second  time  and 
forever  from  his  boats  and  nets.  There  Peter  is 
a  fisherman,  here  he  is  a  shepherd;  there  he  is 
making  a  living,  here  he  is  using  a  life;  there  he 
is  a  wavering  lover,  here  he  is  the  unshaken  rock. 

Where  did  this  happen?  It  took  place  last 
week  in  the  room  of  a  student.  It  was  a  long 
interview.  The  boats  and  nets  and  fish  were 
there,  and  there  was  that  strange  Man  saying, 
"Fisherman  for  yourself  or  shepherd  for  me?" 
I  do  not  know  what  the  answer  was.  When  did 
this  happen  ?  It  took  place  yesterday  in  an  office 
down  town.  The  business  man  hesitated  and 
fought,  he  saw  the  visions  of  the  world  spread 
before  him  and  his  face  paled.  The  question  was, 


FISHERMAN  OR  SHEPHERD  47 

"Fisherman  for  yourself  or  shepherd  for  me?" 
I  do  not  know  what  answer  he  made  to  Jesus. 
When  did  this  happen  ?  It  took  place  this  morn- 
ing in  the  soul  of  a  young  woman  as  she  prayed. 
Life  was  not  kind  and  she  was  tired;  she  won- 
dered if  the  struggle  were  worth  while  and  if  an 
easy  way  were  not  the  better.  She  had  to  reply 
to  the  question,  "Fisherman  for  yourself  or 
shepherd  for  me?"  I  do  not  know  what  answer 
she  made  to  Jesus. 

The  scene  will  take  place  to-morrow  and  on  all 
to-morrows.  It  is  Jesus  Christ  offering  to  every 
soul  the  choice  of  service.  He  has  identified  him- 
self with  a  certain  divine  purpose;  he  has  called 
for  men  who  love  him  enough  to  believe  in  his 
purpose  more  than  they  do  in  anything  else.  He 
has  seen  the  little  handful  of  men  who  were  his 
first  disciples  growing,  growing  through  agony 
and  strife;  seen  the  old  wilderness  world  giving 
place  to  peace  and  joy,  seen  the  inevitableness  of 
his  plan  and  been  absolutely  sure  that  men  could 
trust  their  lives  to  the  certainty  of  God's  care, 
absolutely  sure  that  in  the  working  out  of  God's 
will  men  wrought  the  perfect  fulfillment  of  their 
own  lives. 

The  one  supremely  great  task  for  a  man  is  to 
be  true  to  the  inner  life  and  make  it  dominant. 
There  is  an  outer  life,  and  it  is  important,  but  it 
must  not  be  the  only  or  the  principal  life.  The 
outer  life  is  the  life  of  boats  and  nets  and  fishes, 
the  life  that  asks  about  money  and  clothes  and 


48         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

power  and  honor.  These  questions  are  not  to  be 
treated  lightly.  It  is  upon  the  material  things 
that  we  build  the  intellectual  and  the  spiritual. 
The  college  would  not  be  were  it  not  for  bricks 
and  books  and  men  who  made  money  to  provide 
them.  The  church  roots  itself  in  tangible  things 
and  without  them  there  would  be  no  sound  of 
hymn  or  prayer.  But  there  must  be  a  distinction, 
and  the  highest  wisdom  of  humankind  lies  in 
making  that  distinction  properly.  That  distinc- 
tion consists  in  determining  what  is  primary,  in 
giving  to  the  seen  and  to  the  unseen  the  rank 
that  is  their  due. 

In  a  sense  there  is  no  outer  life  until  it  becomes 
inner.  There  is  no  sound  until  we  hear  it,  no 
light  until  we  see  it ;  there  is  no  joy  or  hope  until 
we  feel  it ;  there  are  no  philosophers  or  poets,  no 
historians  or  reformers  until  their  thoughts  and 
dreams  enter  our  thought.  There  is  nothing  in 
all  the  world  except  it  touch  our  inner  life.  The 
human  mind  is  the  great  artificer.  It  builds  up 
and  it  destroys,  it  analyzes  phenomena  and  con- 
structs laws,  it  discovers  forces  and  defines  prin- 
ciples, it  reveals  worlds  within  the  world  and 
with  the  shock  of  its  denial  shatters  them  into 
nothingness. 

In  so  far  as  the  outer  world  is  mastered,  its 
king  is  the  human  mind.  Power,  law,  systems,  a 
coordinated  universe  represent  the  conquest  of 
the  inner  over  the  outer.  The  ascent  of  mind  has 
meant  the  subjugation  of  matter.  When  the  mind 


FISHERMAN  OR  SHEPHERD  49 

of  a  Columbus  conceived  a  New  World  a  new 
world  emerged.  When  the  intellect  of  Watts  and 
Stephenson,  of  Morse  and  Marconi,  of  Edison  and 
Dolbear  dreamed  dreams  of  steam  and  electricity, 
incalculable  power  entered  into  bondage  to  man- 
kind. The  mind  first ;  and  then  the  hands  of  Ful- 
ton, Goodyear,  Bessemer,  Roebling,  and  McAdoo. 
The  skill  and  daring  of  the  modern  engineer,  the 
audacity  and  persistence  of  the  inventor,  the 
courage  and  endurance  of  the  explorer,  the  magic 
and  faith  of  the  farmer — aye,  the  superhumanness 
of  humankind  only  suggest  the  sovereignty  of  the 
inner  over  the  outer  life. 

The  throne  from  which  man  himself  is  ruled 
is  found  within.  The  world  of  matter  is  held  fast 
by  laws  of  nature,  laws  which  it  can  neither  abro- 
gate nor  change.  The  rock,  the  tree,  the  rushing 
avalanche,  the  storm — all  are  ruled  from  with- 
out. But  man  directs.  Influenced  and  motived 
by  a  thousand  forces,  he  still  is  a  center  of  au- 
thority. He  experiences,  analyzes,  and  corre- 
lates ;  he  inquires,  thinks,  and  reasons ;  and  then 
he  decrees.  He  may  decree  the  impossible  or  the 
foolish  or  the  wise  thing ;  nevertheless,  he  decrees 
and  power  is  released  to  execute  his  will. 

The  inner  life  is  the  seat  of  obligation.  There 
is  nothing  of  duty  or  oughtness  in  matter;  but 
from  the  inner  sanctuary  of  the  soul  there  issue 
those  sublime  impulsions  which  have  given  the 
race  its  galaxy  of  moral  heroes.  Hunger  and  cold 
men  do  not  fear,  contumely  and  scorn  they  will 


50         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

endure,  isolation  and  sorrow  they  can  bear,  pain 
and  death  they  may  even  welcome  in  order  to 
keep  inviolate  the  sacred  summons  which  issue 
from  the  throne  room  of  the  inner  life. 

This  must  come  first.  There  are  no  final  values 
outside  the  inner  life :  there  are  found  the  funda- 
mentals, the  constants  and  the  exponents  which 
give  worth  and  meaning  to  what  man  is  and 
what  he  does.  Every  transformation  making  the 
world  a  fitter  place  to  live  in  than  it  was  six 
thousand  years  ago  slept  in  the  soul  of  Adam. 
Every  vision  needing  to  be  realized  before  the 
Eden  lost  shall  be  restored  again  is  slumbering  in 
the  secret  places  of  the  human  mind.  That  is 
the  treasure  house  from  which  every  good  has 
been  extracted;  there  lie  the  unfathomable  riches 
which  are  still  to  make  the  earth  a  sweet  and 
holy  place  of  peace  and  joy. 

We  need  not  wonder  then  that  Jesus  Christ 
should  call  men  from  nets  and  boats,  from  a  life 
where  the  outer  rules  to  a  life  where  the  inner 
has  first  place.  He  knew  what  kind  of  a  man  God 
had  created,  knew  the  infinite  powers  that  had 
been  packed  away;  he  knew  that  man  ought  to 
value  them  more  than  anything  else,  knew  that  as 
man  unfolded  himself  the  old  world  would  lay 
its  hidden  riches  at  his  feet,  knew  that  in  no  other 
way  could  man  be  himself  and  claim  his  own. 

And  I  am  sure  that  Jesus  knew  how  hard  it  is 
for  men  to  give  up  being  fishermen.  A  vision 
cannot  clothe  and  feed  the  hungry,  a  vision  can- 


FISHERMAN  OR  SHEPHERD  51 

not  give  us  a  home  for  wife  and  children.  The 
visible  so  much  appeals  to  us :  it  is  there  that  we 
are  nourished  and  find  comfort  and  power.  I 
cannot  sell  my  vision  for  bread;  bread  comes 
from  the  field  and  I  must  sow  and  gather  there. 
The  unseen  has  no  rating  in  the  places  of  ex- 
change; merchandise  has  worth  to  give  me 
friends  and  keep  my  body  strong.  Therefore  I 
seek  for  things  that  can  be  seen  and  sold. 

It  was  not  easy  for  Peter  to  leave  his  nets  and 
boats.  He  could  sail  the  boat  and  handle  the 
nets,  but  he  had  never  been  a  shepherd.  The  new 
work  always  makes  one  hesitate.  Who  knows  the 
difficulties  and  defeats  which  lie  in  the  untried 
paths?  The  known  is  not  flippantly  to  be  cast 
off  for  the  unknown.  Men  do  not  master  a  voca- 
tion without  time  and  effort,  and  when  once  a 
degree  of  success  is  attained  they  are  slow  to 
leave  it.  Experience  breeds  conservatism  and 
knowledge  is  the  mother  of  caution. 

Peter  loved  the  old  life  too.  The  boats  and 
nets  were  his,  not  by  fiat,  but  by  virtue  of  his 
thought  and  labor,  his  ambition  and  economy. 
Had  he  not  wrought  his  life  into  them — poor, 
mean  things  perhaps,  but  his  very  own?  How 
could  he  ever  love  another  work  as  he  loved  this  ? 
There  lay  his  years  floating  on  the  sea,  and  to 
leave  them  was  to  leave  himself. 

Ah,  yes ;  but  from  the  moment  the  strange  Man 
appeared  Peter  was  undone.  When  he  knew  only 
his  boats  and  fishing  he  could  be  content.  But 


52         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

there  are  visions  which  disturb  contentment, 
calls  which  break  sleep  forever.  The  eagle  stirs 
up  her  nest,  compelling  the  brood  to  learn  to  fly, 
and  God  always  touches  the  soul  with  a  summons 
to  grow.  When  the  youth  met  Socrates  he  had 
to  be  Plato ;  when  the  monk  climbing  the  steps  at 
Rome  heard  the  words,  "The  just  shall  live  by 
faith,"  he  was  sealed  to  become  Luther,  the  re- 
former; when  John  Wesley  felt  his  heart  strangely 
warmed  he  was  bound  by  everlasting  fealty  to  a 
new  task;  when  Wendell  Phillips  heard  the 
prison  doors  close  upon  Garrison  in  all  the  world 
there  was  but  one  thing  for  him  to  do !  In  all  the 
world  there  was  but  one  thing  for  Plato  and 
Luther  and  Wesley  to  do.  They  must  obey  the 
vision  and  bring  it  as  a  reality  into  the  lives  of 
other  men. 

It  requires  a  struggle  to  leave  self  and  serve 
others,  to  forget  the  nets  and  become  a  shepherd. 
Men  are  sad  when  they  first  meet  Jesus  Christ: 
he  asks  so  much  of  them.  He  breaks  into  the 
calm  of  their  lives,  destroys  their  purposes  and 
loves  and  gives  them  a  new  order.  But  if  they 
obey — ah,  if  they  but  obey! — winter  is  summer 
and  storm  is  sunshine.  In  all  the  reaches  of  hu- 
man happiness  there  is  no  joy  to  be  compared 
with  that  which  comes  when  a  man  discovers  that 
he  has  bound  himself  to  the  infinite  and  grown 
more  fully  into  the  likeness  of  the  Divine.  After 
long  periods  of  selfishness  and  easy  contentment, 
suddenly  to  find  that  he  has  clarified  his  soul,  is 


FISHERMAN  OR  SHEPHERD  53 

doing  a  bigger  work,  a  man's  work,  God's  work, 
a  man  rejoices  with  a  joy  unutterable. 

Peter  never  returned  to  his  boats.  It  is  the 
testimony  of  his  brave  and  steadfast  after  life 
that  he  never  wanted  them  again.  All  that  he 
suffered  of  poverty  and  contumely,  of  hate  and 
imprisonment  are  mute  but  splendid  evidences 
that  it  is  better  to  be  a  shepherd  than  a  fisher- 
man. When  Assisi  turned  from  plenty  and  ease 
to  follow  the  inner  gleam  which  made  him  the 
wonderful  lover  of  the  loveless,  I  am  sure  that 
there  was  some  mighty  compensation  which  made 
wealth  and  honor  seem  cheap  and  tawdry.  When 
David  Livingstone  hid  himself  in  the  Dark  Con- 
tinent, though  stricken  with  fever  and  tortured 
by  a  daily  death,  he  must  have  had  an  inner  glory 
that  made  him  count  all  as  nothing  in  order  that 
he  might  feel  the  throb  of  truth  pulsing  through 
his  life  to  the  meager  life  of  others. 

Such  souls  have  bartered  the  lower  values  and 
their  inevitable  life  impoverishment  for  the 
splendor  of  the  unseen.  "Something  divine,"  to 
use  the  words  of  Aristides,  is  surely  mingled  with 
a  humanity  that  has  made  such  ventures  of  faith, 
such  offerings  of  the  visible  for  the  invisible  as 
are  on  record.  And  men  unaided  do  not  conceive 
these  things.  It  is  Jesus  Christ  who  flashes  the 
vision  before  them  and  bids  them  exchange  the 
lower  for  the  higher.  Nay,  more  than  that:  he 
himself  is  that  vision  and  that  call.  Everything 
which  he  is  represents  the  permanent  and  in- 


54         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

creased  spiritual  idealism  of  mankind.  It  is  the 
spirit  of  Jesus  Christ  perennially  present  which 
gives  to  the  race  and  to  the  individual  that  maj- 
esty and  might  which  rolls  the  world  from  age  to 
age  into  a  whiter  and  stronger  light.  The  spirit 
of  Jesus  Christ  has  been  great  enough  to  include 
in  its  own  nature  all  the  questions  of  society  and 
politics  and  art  and  commerce,  all  questions 
practical  and  speculative,  through  all  the  reaches 
of  the  years.  In  every  age  he  has  been  coming 
again  and  again;  rather,  he  has  never  left  man- 
kind alone.  Since  the  dawn  of  creation  Jesus 
Christ  has  been  making  his  appeal  in  every  great 
and  vital  question  of  justice.  There  has  never 
been  a  time  when  he  has  not  stood  at  the  heart 
of  every  struggle  between  right  and  wrong.  There 
has  never  been  a  reform  which  he  did  not  sanc- 
tion, never  a  sin  which  he  did  not  condemn.  Em- 
pires and  civilizations  have  risen  and  decayed, 
but  through  all  the  years  of  history,  there  has 
been  one  thing  as  lasting  as  eternity.  It  is  the 
spirit  of  the  ideal,  the  presence  of  truth,  the  ap- 
peal of  right — all  of  which  have  found  themselves 
alive  and  mighty  in  the  incarnation  and  omnipo- 
tence of  the  personality  of  Jesus  Christ. 

I  know  nothing  that  gives  men  greater  hope 
than  this.  If  there  is  a  philosophy  of  history, 
that  which  gives  outstanding  unity  to  the  series 
of  events  is  the  continual  presence  of  what  Jesus 
Christ  stands  for.  Age  after  age  he  has  appeared 
asking  men  to  accept  an  enlargement  of  service 


FISHERMAN  OR  SHEPHERD  55 

and  an  added  strength  for  the  task.  In  one  age 
he  came  to  the  world  as  the  universal  Brother 
and  wrote  in  the  hearts  of  men  the  divine  decrees 
of  human  fellowship.  Another  time  he  appeared 
with  messages  concerning  the  home  and  made 
the  race  seal  it  with  purity  and  righteousness. 
You  will  find  him  speaking  to  philosophers  and 
scientists,  invigorating  them  with  a  strong  love 
of  truth.  He  stands  there,  this  imperial  Figure 
among  the  cabinets  of  kings,  the  congresses  of 
republics,  imposing  new  trusts,  exhorting  to  large 
faith,  unfolding  visions  of  the  glory  that  should 
be.  There  he  stands,  the  High  Priest  of  human 
souls,  girding  and  regirding  them  to  battle,  to 
sacrifice,  to  martyrdom,  to  death.  I  want  you 
to  see  this.  I  want  you  to  look  into  your  histories 
to  see  just  how  Christ  has  been  coming  to  the 
earth  again  and  again  in  the  decay  of  every  evil, 
in  the  uprise  of  every  good.  Every  reform  has 
been  his,  every  impulse  which  has  driven  man 
from  contented  littleness  to  undertake  heroic 
greatness  was  first  in  his  heart.  He  is  the 
"quickening  spirit." 

There  is  one  thing  for  us  to  do.  We  are  to  be 
men  and  women  of  the  open  soul.  The  appeal  of 
Christ  comes  to  us.  The  work  of  our  fathers  is 
done;  nevertheless,  an  eternal  imperative  is  laid 
upon  us.  I  do  not  know  its  particular  character, 
but  I  do  know  that  we  are  not  left  out,  that  every 
one  of  the  open  soul  will  be  called  again  and  again 
to  leave  boats  and  nets  to  become  shepherds.  The 


56         PACIFIC  NOKTHWEST  PULPIT 

open  soul  will  cause  us  to  long  for  Christ's  com- 
ing, will  give  us  confidence  in  him  and  make  us 
willing  to  labor  with  him.  As  I  look  at  men 
who  are  doing  things,  I  have  come  to  believe  that 
the  attitude  of  a  man  is  the  great  thing  after  all. 
He  usually  gets  what  he  wants ;  certainly  he  does 
not  get  anything  good  unless  he  wants  it.  If  a 
man  wants  integrity  and  purity  and  righteous- 
ness, they  wait  upon  him.  Visions  come  to  him 
with  the  upturned  face;  and  he  who  opens  his 
soul  to  Jesus  Christ  will  surely  find  Christ  com- 
ing in.  It  is  the  most  natural  thing  in  the  world 
to  expect  it.  The  seed  with  an  open  soul  to  the 
earth  and  sunshine  becomes  more  than  a  seed. 
The  dynamo  with  the  open  soul  to  electricity 
turns  night  into  day.  Iron  and  steel  with  an  open 
soul  to  steam  creates  the  commerce  of  nations. 
A  handful  of  wires  with  an  open  soul  to  the  ether 
hurls  a  message  for  a  thousand  miles  across 
space.  A  mind  with  the  open  soul  to  truth  be- 
comes endowed  with  a  power  that  crashes  through 
bigotry  and  error.  And  a  human  spirit  open  to 
Jesus  Christ  binds  to  itself  the  omnipotence  of 
Almighty  God. 

Peter,  the  poor  fisherman  among  his  boats  and 
nets;  Peter  rich  with  the  soul  that  opened  to 
every  higher  call  never  was  so  ennobled  as  when 
Christ  bade  him  become  a  shepherd  and  he  obeyed. 
In  one  of  Miss  Murfree's  novels  the  old  moun- 
taineer directs  the  stranger  by  telling  him  "al- 
ways to  take  the  upper  turn  of  the  road."  It  is 


FISHERMAN  OR  SHEPHERD  57 

the  whole  philosophy  of  life.  Always  to  be  open 
to  higher  calls,  always  to  take  the  upper  turn 
in  the  road  is  for  a  man  step  by  step  to  realize 
his  kinship  with  the  Divine.  In  all  the  expe- 
riences of  time  there  is  no  greater  tragedy  and 
loss  than  for  a  man  to  accept  the  other  alternative. 
Day  after  day  to  close  one's  soul  to  the  recurrent 
Christ,  to  choose  always  the  things  of  the  outer 
life,  to  enter  further  and  further  into  the  ma- 
terial— this  is  to  die  the  living  death. 

Frankenstein,  the  young  medical  student  de- 
scribed by  Mrs.  Shelley,  created  an  automaton 
that  looked  and  acted  like  a  man.  It  lacked  noth- 
ing but  a  soul  to  make  it  completely  human,  but 
this  the  young  student  could  not  give;  and  the 
awful  creature,  knowing  its  deformity,  besought 
him  day  and  night  for  a  soul.  Throughout  the 
nations  he  fled,  always  pursued  by  the  monster 
crying,  "Give  me  a  soul!  Give  me  a  soul!" 
Heine  remarks  that  "These  two  figures  can  now 
be  met  with  in  every  country" — men  who  stifle 
the  inner  life  by  the  corrosiveness  of  excessive 
attention  to  the  material.  Christ  never  went 
deeper  into  the  core  of  experience  than  when  he 
stretched  himself  upon  the  cross  and  died  for  an 
idea.  Patriotism  never  goes  deeper  than  when 
a  man  fights  and  dies  for  an  idea.  Life  never  is 
holier  than  when  it  swears  fealty  to  a  vision,  say- 
ing: "I  cannot  do  other,  God  help  me.  Here  I 
stand." 


FKANK  LA  FAYETTE  LOVELAND 

FIRST  CHURCH,  PORTLAND,  OREGON 

Frank  L.  Loveland  is  American  in  birth  and 
ideals.  Born  during  the  Civil  War,  he  was  rocked 
in  a  sturdy  cradle,  carried  in  heroic  arms.  In  his 
boyhood  his  life  shared  in  the  "short  and  simple 
annals  of  the  poor."  By  dint  of  unyielding  will, 
sturdy  decision  of  character,  and  tireless  effort, 
supplemented  by  unusual  natural  endowments,  he 
has  won  for  himself  a  name  and  place  among  the 
ablest  in  his  chosen  profession.  He  has  been 
honored  by  the  leading  educational  institutions  of 
Methodism.  He  is  a  careful  student  not  only  of 
books,  but  men;  of  theology,  and  of  sociology. 
He  believes  in  the  "Life  that  now  is,"  as  well  as 
the  "Life  to  come."  He  deals  not  in  musty  plati- 
tudes, but  with  vital  living  problems.  He  is  a 
man  beloved  by  men,  a  citizen  honored  in  his  own 
city;  a  minister  whose  sermons  are  heard  by  im- 
mense throngs  and  a  lecturer  whose  Lyceum  and 
Chautauqua  messages  call  forth  the  most  un- 
stinted praise. 


THE  MUTUAL  OBLIGATIONS  OF  CHURCH 

AND  STATE  IN  BUILDING  HUMAN 

CHARACTER 

FRANK  LAFAYETTE  LOVELAND 
"What  is  that  to  us?  see  thou  to  that"— Matt.  27.  4. 

AMONG  the  incidents  connected  with  the  closing 
hours  in  the  career  of  the  Penniless  Prince  of 
Palestine  none  are  more  tragic  than  that  from 
which  this  text  is  taken.  The  Christ  has  been 
delivered  to  his  executioners.  The  tragedy  of  the 
cross  was  about  to  be  enacted  on  Calvary's  Hill. 
Judas  Iscariot  had  betrayed  him  at  the  instiga- 
tion of  the  Sanhedrin,  and  this  was  the  result  of 
a  conspiracy  that  grew  out  of  the  social,  political, 
and  religious  life  of  Palestine.  Judas  Iscariot, 
being  panic-stricken  at  his  downfall  and  guilt, 
and  seeking  to  undo  his  wrong,  conies  to  the  con- 
spirators and  begs  them  to  take  back  the  silver  and 
prevent  the  final  act  in  that  awful  tragedy.  With 
a  heartlessness  and  scorn  unequaled  in  the  annals 
of  selfishness,  the  conspirators  refused  to  take 
back  their  blood-stained  silver.  They  mercilessly 
piled  the  whole  guilt  of  that  shameful  transaction 
upon  the  shoulders  of  Judas  Iscariot.  Unmind- 
ful of  the  consequences  to  the  shivering  culprit 
before  them,  unmindful  of  their  own  part  in  this 


60         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

transaction,  unmindful  of  their  responsibility, 
they  say  to  him  in  reply  to  his  agonized  appeal 
to  avert  the  awful  consequences  of  his  deed: 
"What  is  that  to  us?  see  thou  to  that!" 

THE  CRIME  OF  SOCIETY 

Although  Pilate  sought  to  wash  his  hands  of 
the  fearful  affair  of  Calvary ;  although  the  scribes 
and  Pharisees  heartlessly  refused  to  accept  any 
responsibility  in  the  matter  of  the  deed  done  by 
Judas  Iscariot,  the  unalterable  conclusion  must 
be  reached,  however,  that  the  crime  was  charge- 
able not  alone  to  Judas,  who  has  carried  the  con- 
tumely of  the  deed  through  the  centuries,  but  to 
the  social,  political,  and  religious  life  of  that  day. 
In  the  light  of  modern  sociological  and  theological 
science,  these  are  unitedly  pilloried  as  the  arch 
criminals  in  this  direful  transaction. 

A  SEARCH  FOR  THE  ROOT  OF  RESPONSIBILITY 

We  are  seeking  to-day  for  the  fundamental 
causes  of  human  sorrow,  poverty,  disease,  and 
crime;  and  a  search  for  these  causes  compels  us 
to  travel  backward,  past  the  sorrowing  face,  the 
sick  body,  the  gaunt  frames,  and  the  prison  stripes 
into  the  very  centers  of  our  society,  homes,  altars 
of  churches,  courts,  and  legislative  halls.  We  are 
compelled  to  face  the  fact  that  we  are  our 
"brother's  keeper" ;  that  there  are  mutual  obliga- 
tions that  cannot  be  abrogated  by  any  social 
caste,  political  theory,  or  religious  creed.  The 


MUTUAL  OBLIGATIONS  61 

church,  the  school,  and  the  state,  as  never  before, 
are  compelled  to  study  the  problem  of  mutual  re- 
lationships and  mutual  obligations.  The  old 
union  of  church  and  state  was  a  millstone  that 
threatened  to  sink  both  the  church  and  the  state ; 
the  new  union  of  church  and  state  that  is  being 
wrought  out  in  our  modern  civilization  is  neither 
theological  nor  political  alone,  but  humanitarian 
in  its  highest  and  best  sense,  and  this  union  must 
some  day  be  realized  as  a  reality  if  the  church 
and  state  are  to  endure. 

MAN'S  INESTIMABLE  VALUE 

Humboldt  tells  us  that  "religion,  law,  property, 
and  books  are  nothing  but  the  scaffoldings  to 
build  a  man — that  nature  holds  up  to  her  Creator 
no  product  but  a  perfect  man."  Jesus  Christ 
taught  the  world  no  greater  lesson  than  that  of 
the  value  of  humanity.  When  Jesus  was  born  in 
Bethlehem  of  Judaea,  seventy  per  cent  of  the  popu- 
lation was  in  slavery  and  serfdom;  human  flesh 
was  cheaper  than  beef.  Pollio  could  feed  his 
Lampreys  upon  child's  flesh — it  was  cheaper  than 
mutton.  Christ  discussed  the  question  with  man 
of  that  day  as  to  whether  a  man  was  any  better 
than  a  sheep.  The  religious  and  political  leaders 
took  the  negative  of  the  question;  Christ  alone 
took  the  affirmative.  The  most  momentous  truth 
taught  by  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  that  man  was 
the  son  of  God,  that  he  had  an  abiding  and  eternal 
value.  He  set  the  slave  upon  his  feet  and  put 


62        PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

upon  his  brow  the  crown  of  a  deathless  destiny. 
He  taught  the  world  that  humanity  was  of  such 
value  that  it  was  worth  the  life  of  the  Son  of  God 
to  restore  it  to  its  pristine  dignity.  He  died  to 
redeem  humanity  because  humanity  was  worth 
it.  The  old  doctrine  of  man's  worthlessness,  as 
evidenced  by  both  church  and  state  for  over 
fifteen  hundred  years  since  the  death  of  Christ, 
has  been  one  of  the  greatest  wrongs  perpetuated 
upon  humanity.  "The  preaching  of  the  doctrine 
of  the  total  and  unalleviated  depravity  of  the  hu- 
man race  has  been,  not  only  a  theological  and  so- 
ciological blunder,  but  has  been  a  crime  against 
society  and  an  outrage  on  public  morals/'  says  a 
prominent  Presbyterian  preacher;  and  it  is  a 
significant  truth,  even  though  sadly  belated. 

THE  ERA  OP  MUTUALITY 

Another  of  the  fundamental  truths  taught  by 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  the  intimate  relation  that 
every  man  bears  to  every  other  man.  He  taught 
that  the  race  is  a  unit  and  every  specification  of 
church  and  state  should  be  for  the  preservation 
of  this  unit ;  he  taught  the  Fatherhood  of  God  and 
the  brotherhood  of  man;  but  for  hundreds  of 
years  these  great  truths  have  had  the  doors  of 
both  church  and  state  slammed  in  their  faces,  and 
its  only  within  your  lifetime  and  mine  that  hu- 
man brotherhood  has  come  back  to  both  church 
and  state,  and  we  are  now  trying  to  atone  for  the 
tardiness  of  our  reception  of  it  by  the  splendid 


MUTUAL  OBLIGATIONS  63 

promises    which    we    hold    out    for    its    future 
triumphs. 

The  church  has  passed  through  great  eras  in 
the  bygone  centuries.  In  the  early  ages  of  the 
church's  history  its  battles  were  fought  around 
the  personality  and  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ. 
This  was  followed  by  the  great  era  of  organiza- 
tion and  the  propaganda  of  ecclesiastical  systems. 
The  Keformation — the  egg  of  which  was  laid  by 
Erasmus  and  hatched  by  Martin  Luther — pro- 
duced an  era  of  mental  and  spiritual  enfranchise- 
ment of  the  individual.  This  was  followed  by 
the  rise  and  growth  of  sectarianism ;  but  the  days 
of  dogmatism  and  ecclesiasticism  are  passing  and 
the  church  of  to-day  is  swinging  with  tremendous 
strides  into  the  era  of  social  redemption.  To- 
day the  term  "salvation"  has  a  larger  meaning 
than  ever  before.  It  means  not  only  the  salvation 
of  the  soul  but  the  salvation  of  the  body,  the 
mind,  the  home,  the  city,  the  state,  and  society. 
Health  is  recognized  as  a  necessary  part  of  our 
religion.  We  are  now  believing  that  the  culture 
of  the  human  intellect  is  as  necessary  as  the  cul- 
ture of  the  human  conscience,  that  "the  brain  is 
as  divinely  a  part  of  man  as  is  his  heart."  We 
now  believe  that  the  church  has  no  right  to  talk 
about  "full  salvation"  unless  it  is  intended  to  in- 
clude the  human  body  and  all  the  environments 
and  appliances  in  the  city  and  state  that  relate 
thereto.  "Full  salvation  to-day  means  the  school, 
the  training  of  head  and  hand  and  heart,  the 


64         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

proper  culture  with  books  and  tools — classical, 
moral,  manual,  industrial,  vocational.  It  means 
the  redemption  of  the  entire  human  being,  the 
opening  of  every  prison  door  whether  physical, 
intellectual,  or  spiritual."  The  gospel  of  to-day 
includes  soap,  clean  water,  pure  food,  fresh  air, 
and  healthful  environment,  as  well  as  the 
mourners'  bench  and  the  baptismal  font.  He  who 
preaches  a  narrower  gospel  than  this  preaches  a 
travesty  upon  the  spirit  and  teachings  of  Jesus 
Christ.  A  modern  preacher  says :  "The  full  gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ  means  a  new  social  order.  Our 
modern  evangelistic  cant  about  'saving  souls'  is 
but  a  poor  caricature  of  the  thought  of  the 
Master.  Jesus  came  not  to  save  souls  merely, 
but  to  save  humanity.  The  program  of  the  Naza- 
rene  is  more  than  the  rescue  of  individuals  from 
a  future  hell — it  is  the  salvation  of  society  that  he 
proposes.  He  sends  his  disciples  forth  not  alone 
with  a  message  of  personal  regeneration,  but  with 
a  message  of  civic  reform — a  preaching  of  environ- 
ment, a  prophetic  call  to  social  and  national 
righteousness — and  without  this  the  full  gospel 
is  not  preached.  It  is  easier  and  cheaper  to  get 
our  own  souls  saved,  and  realize  a  narrow  stand- 
ard of  personal  virtue,  than  it  is  to  sacrifice  our 
selfish  personal  interests  to  Christ's  ideal  of 
social  righteousness.  It  is  easier  to  consecrate 
a  graveyard  than  it  is  a  market  place.  It  is  easier 
to  make  sacred  the  sanctuary  than  the  shop,  the 
store,  the  home;  but  who  doubts  that  the  latter 


MUTUAL  OBLIGATIONS  65 

is  as  necessary  as  the  former?  A  religion  that 
cannot  save  society  from  hell  here  will,  I  fear, 
fail  to  save  souls  from  hell  hereafter. 

THE  CIRCLE  OP  ^RESPONSIBILITY 

We  are  now  becoming  intensely  conscious  of 
the  fact  that  society  is  responsible  for  its  prod- 
ucts; that  poverty,  disease,  and  crime  root 
themselves  back  in  society  itself.  They  reach  into 
the  home,  the  church,  the  school,  the  courts,  and 
legislative  halls;  and  the  real  preacher  of  Jesus 
Christ  and  the  real  reformer  and  sociologist  must 
take  their  stand  at  the  doors  of  our  reformatories 
and  penal  institutions,  our  police  courts  and 
asylums,  our  poorhouses  and  our  hospitals,  and 
with  courage  unfaltering  and  in  no  uncertain 
tones,  demand  that  society  itself  must  enter  the 
dock  with  the  prisoner,  must  stand  in  the  slum 
with  the  degraded,  must  sit  in  the  hovel  with  the 
poor,  and  in  the  hospital  ward  with  the  diseased, 
and  there  be  placed  on  trial  with  the  pitiful  sub- 
jects that  have  been  sentenced  by  law,  or  other- 
wise, to  a  place  therein.  Caesar,  the  president; 
Pilate,  the  governor;  Herod,  the  mayor;  Annas, 
the  teacher ;  and  Caiaphas,  the  preacher,  must  be 
placed  on  trial  alongside  with  Judas  Iscariot. 
Victor  Hugo  in  the  greatest  novel  of  the  ages,  Les 
Miserables,  says  that,  "the  representatives  of  so- 
ciety called  legislators,  judges,  bishops,  and  police- 
men are  simply  lesser  planets  moving  around  a 
giant  soul  called  Jean  Valjean  who  is  the  incar- 


66         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

nation  of  all  the. social  misery  of  his  time.  In  the 
mouth  of  the  good  bishop  he  puts  these  words, 
"Sin  is  a  darkness  of  the  mind.  The  state  that 
permitted  the  ignorance  and  darkness  of  Jean 
Valjean,  should  be  sent  to  jail  with  the  thief." 
He  further  portrays  in  merciless  speech  the  ac- 
tions of  the  corrupt  and  brutal  police  officers 
and  the  state's  attorney  as  they  applied  "third 
degree  methods"  for  the  extortion  of  evidence 
which  they  had  not  brains  enough  to  secure  in  a 
legitimate  manner;  and  when  the  victims  are 
finally  sentenced  to  be  hung,  the  old  bishop  said, 
when  the  people  applauded  the  state's  attorney's 
scheme,  "This  man  and  woman  will  go  to  the 
scaffold,  but  who  will  hang  the  state's  attorney?" 
In  answering  the  question,  "Who  is  the  greatest 
criminal,"  we  are  often  compelled  to  hesitate  as 
to  whether  we  shall  answer,  "The  man  in  the 
prisoner's  dock,  the  state,  the  court,  the  church, 
society,  or  the  parents."  While  I  am  ready  to 
admit  that  neither  the  church  nor  state  can  afford 
to  deny,  excuse,  or  palliate  individual  responsi- 
bility and  its  consequent  results,  yet  I  do  not 
hesitate  to  say  that  the  mental  acumen  evidenced 
by  the  ordinary  police  officer  or  ecclesiastically 
bound  preacher  are  not  of  such  a  type  as  to  make 
them  competent  judges  as  to  the  real  line  of 
cleavage  between  social  and  individual  respon- 
sibility, nor  clothe  them  with  the  necessary  ability 
to  pass  judgment  and  execute  sentence  in  most 
cases  that  come  before  them.  If  anyone  doubts 


MUTUAL  OBLIGATIONS  67 

this,  let  him  examine  with  care  the  criminal  court 
dockets  of  this  country  or  listen  to  the  ordinary 
dogmatical  sermon  on  the  salvation  of  the  soul. 

THE  VITAL  LAW  OF  HEREDITY 

The  conditions  that  surround  modern  humanity 
demand  that  the  church,  the  state,  and  the  school 
shall  join  hands  in  the  promulgation  of  the  truth 
of  the  fundamental  commandment,  given  on 
Sinai,  that  the  sins  of  the  fathers  are  visited  upon 
the  children,  even  to  the  third  and  fourth  genera- 
tion. This  is  a  law  as  inexorable  as  fate;  its 
truth  is  as  impregnable  as  Gibraltar.  It  is  the 
flaming  protest  of  high  heaven,  a  solemn  warning 
from  the  throne  of  the  Eternal  that  must  not  go 
unheeded.  Scientists  to-day  demonstrate  beyond 
a  doubt  that  heredity  is  vital  in  the  production 
of  a  perfect  life.  It  is  a  fearful  thing  to  start  a 
life  defectively.  Luther  Burbank  says  that  it  is 
a  vegetable  crime  to  breed  defective  plants.  The 
farmer  to-day  has  decreed  that  the  nubbin,  the 
runt,  and  scrub  must  go  and  that  every  product 
of  the  farm  must  be  of  the  highest  type.  In  the 
realm  of  man  the  same  law  holds  true.  Look 
about  you  and  see  the  diseased,  the  defective,  the 
criminal  which  are  as  much  the  result  of  bad 
breeding  as  is  the  nubbin,  the  runt,  and  scrub  of 
the  farm.  It  is  time  for  parents  to  learn  that  the 
sins  of  one  generation  lame  the  next  generation. 
"That  blood  transmits  physical  weakness,  mental 
decay,  moral  degeneracy."  It  should  be  widely 


68         PACIFIC  NOKTHWEST  PULPIT 

understood  that  one  may  damn  his  own  offspring 
before  it  is  born,  that  a  father  may  predispose  his 
child  or  grandchild  to  kleptomania  and  alcohol- 
ism, that  "a  mother's  dishonesty  may  decree  her 
daughter's  profligacy,  that  parental  wickedness 
may  predestinate  filial  crime."  "Heredity  often 
strikes  a  blow  that  makes  a  misshapen  skull  and 
produces  a  moral  pervert."  While  I  do  not  for 
one  moment  believe  that  God  ever  created  a 
criminal  or  foreordained  a  crime,  yet  Almighty 
God  has  established  certain  laws — physical,  men- 
tal, and  moral — in  this  universe,  and  by  a  viola- 
tion of  those  laws  parents  and  society  and  the 
state  may  predispose  humanity  toward  the  con- 
ditions which  all  would  wish  to  avoid. 

KACE  SUICIDE 

In  recent  years  we  have  heard  much  about  the 
perils  of  race  suicide,  but  let  it  be  known  that 
this  land  of  ours  is  in  no  danger  from  race  sui- 
cide, but  it  is  in  danger  from  race  degeneracy. 
History  has  no  record  of  any  nation  having  gone 
down  for  lack  of  numbers,  but  the  banks  of  the 
stream  of  time  are  strewn  with  the  wreck  of  na- 
tions that  have  gone  down  because  of  the  lack  of 
physical  and  moral  worth.  Not  race  suicide  but 
race  degeneracy  is  the  curse  of  our  day. 

DISEASE,  A  PHYSICAL  AND  SOCIAL  DEPRAVITY 

We  were  once  taught  to  believe  that  blindness, 
deafness,  tuberculosis,  and  many  other  kinds  of 


MUTUAL  OBLIGATIONS  69 

suffering  were  necessary  and  unpreventable ; 
that  we  had  to  accept  blind  eyes  and  deaf  ears 
and  diseased  lungs  as  we  accept  the  havoc  of 
tornadoes  and  cyclones.  But  we  now  know  that 
these  things  are  not  to  be  laid  at  the  door  of 
Divine  Providence  but  at  the  door  of  mankind, 
and  that  they  are  due  in  a  large  measure  to  igno- 
rance, stupidity,  and  to  the  sins  of  the  parents, 
city,  and  state.  We  know  that  more  than  seventy- 
five  per  cent  of  the  blindness  in  the  world  is 
caused  by  a  form  of  ophthalmia  for  which  society 
and  the  parents  are  responsible.  Science  is  veri- 
fying what  the  Old  Testament  taught  three  thou- 
sand years  ago,  and  the  time  has  come  when  there 
is  no  excuse  for  ignorance  upon  this  matter.  To- 
day the  religious,  the  social,  the  physiological, 
the  scientific,  and  the  patriotic  demand  is  that 
we  shall  adjust  our  religious  and  civic  machinery 
to  the  proper  dealing  with  these  great  questions. 
I  was  once  possessed  of  the  opinion  that  the 
mourners'  bench  could  cure  all  these  personal  and 
political  ills  of  humanity.  While  I  believe  that 
the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  will  do  all  for  hu- 
manity it  was  ever  intended  or  expected  to  do, 
yet  it  cannot  become  operative  and  effective  un- 
less intelligently  applied  to  the  source  and  seat 
of  the  difficulty.  The  application  of  the  mourn- 
ers' bench,  the  baptismal  font,  and  the  confirma- 
tion ceremony  are  too  often  from  one  to  one 
hundred  years  too  late  to  accomplish  the  end 
sought. 


70         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

AN  IMPIOUS  AND  HEARTLESS  QUESTION 

The  mutual  obligations  therefore  of  both 
church  and  state  are  pressing  with  a  tremendous 
force  upon  the  question  of  moral  and  intellectual 
progress.  "Have  I  not  a  right  to  do  what  I  will 
with  my  own?"  is  a  more  impious,  selfish,  and 
cruel  question  to-day  than  it  was  in  the  time  of 
the  Galilean.  No  man  has  a  right  to  do  what 
he  will  with  his  own  unless  it  ministers  to  the 
well-being  of  humanity  as  well  as  himself.  The 
failure  to  recognize  this  is  a  fundamental  failure 
in  the  church  as  well  as  the  state.  Money,  ability, 
honors,  official  position,  are  but  trust  funds 
placed  in  our  hands  for  the  benefit  of  the  wounded, 
weak,  and  mentally  or  morally  belated  children  of 
God,  rather  than  to  be  greedily  hoarded  for  per- 
sonal and  selfish  satisfaction. 

PHILANTHROPY  THAT  is  FOLLY 

Another  fundamental  obligation  resting  to-day 
upon  the  church  and  state  is  to  articulate  by 
proper  method  our  charitable  and  philanthropic 
work  to  the  prevention  rather  than  the  allevia- 
tion of  the  immoral  and  degrading  conditions  of 
society.  The  parable  of  the  good  Samaritan  car- 
ries a  divine  principle  and  a  timeless  spirit.  The 
method  employed  by  the  good  Samaritan,  how- 
ever, is  not  remedial  nor  applicable  to  twentieth 
century  conditions.  Fundamental  principles  are 
never  outgrown,  but  the  methods  used  by  one 


MUTUAL  OBLIGATIONS  71 

generation  in  the  application  of  the  principles 
may  not  be  applicable  to  the  next  generation. 
Giving  local  assistance  to  a  wounded  traveler  is 
a  noble  and  necessary  thing  to  do,  but  it  does  not 
go  far  enough.  It  does  not  reach  the  root  of  the 
matter.  It  in  no  wise  removes  the  cause.  A  new 
victim  will  be  found  by  the  roadside  every  day, 
and,  like  Tennyson's  brook,  this  will  go  on  for- 
ever unless  some  method  shall  be  used  to  destroy 
the  robbers  that  infest  the  road  leading  from 
Jerusalem  to  Jericho.  As  some  one  has  said, 
"The  best  Samaritan  is  he  who  paves,  lights,  and 
polices  the  Jericho  road."  Personally,  I  am  shed- 
ding fewer  tears  over  the  drunkard  and  spending 
more  time  to  find  out  why  the  saloon  upon  the 
corner  or  the  bootlegger  in  the  alley  is  allowed 
to  remain.  It  is  beautiful  to  carry  flowers  to  the 
typhoid  patient,  but  it  is  better  to  find  out  why 
there  is  a  polluted  water  supply.  It  is  excellent 
to  help  buy  coffins  for  dead  babies,  but  it  is  in- 
finitely more  excellent  to  destroy  the  greed  and 
graft  that  permits  social  conditions  that  out- 
Herods  Herod  in  slaughtering  the  innocents.  It 
is  a  beautiful  emotion  that  exhibits  itself  in  the 
hand-out  at  the  back  door,  but  it  is  a  more  beau- 
tiful emotion  that  shall  make  the  eye  to  glitter 
with  the  holy  passion  as  you  strike  at  the  infa- 
mous child  labor  that  is  allowed  to  go  on  in  this 
country  in  the  interest  of  greed  and  selfishness, 
not  only  on  the  part  of  the  manufacturer  but  on 
the  part  of  the  consumer ;  a  condition  that  breeds 


72         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

dwarfed,  anemic,  weak,  rickety,  defective,  puny, 
stunted  millions  from  whose  ranks  are  annually 
recruited  a  quarter  of  a  million  tramps ;  an  army 
moving  through  the  country  like  the  deadly  army 
worms,  spreading  disease  and  committing  crimes 
over  which  ill-guided  philanthropy  expends  it- 
self. It  is  a  religious  duty  to  care  for  the  poor 
drab,  the  scarlet  girl,  but  it  is  a  more  profoundly 
religious  duty  for  the  church  to  rise  up  and  de- 
mand that  social  conditions  of  which  the  scarlet 
woman  is  the  natural  product  shall  be  abolished 
from  our  civilization.  Social  conditions  that 
drive  womanhood  into  the  realm  of  industry, 
where  she  becomes  the  prey  to  selfishness,  as  is 
shown  in  the  pitifully  low  wages  paid  her  in  fac- 
tories, stores,  etc. ;  conditions  of  the  servant  girls 
in  our  Christian  homes,  where  they  are  not 
allowed  to  have  the  rights  or  privileges  of  a  parlor 
for  the  entertainment  of  their  friends  and  are 
thus  driven  to  the  public  parks,  are  the  conditions 
which  are  more  important  and  pressing  in  their 
demands  upon  the  mind,  heart,  and  conscience  of 
the  church  than  the  shedding  of  a  tear  over  some 
delinquent  girl.  There  used  to  be  a  time  when 
the  best  doctor  was  rated  as  the  one  who  could 
most  successfully  cure  disease;  to-day  the  best 
doctor  is  the  one  who  most  successfully  prevents 
disease.  Yesterday  the  best  lawyer  was  supposed 
to  be  he  who  could  most  successfully  litigate  a 
case  before  judge  or  jury ;  to-day  the  best  lawyer 
is  he  who  can  most  successfully  prevent  litigation. 


MUTUAL  OBLIGATIONS  73 

For  all  too  long  we  have  supposed  that  the  best 
philanthropist,  the  best  Samaritan,  was  he  who 
poured  oil  and  wine  into  the  wounds  of  some  poor 
bruised  traveler;  but,  rather,  he  is  the  best  phil- 
anthropist who  assists  with  his  money,  his  brains, 
and  his  influence  to  destroy  the  conditions  that 
as  surely  breed  crime,  poverty,  and  disease  as 
stagnant  water  breeds  mosquitoes. 

THE  DEMAND  OF  PATRIOTISM 

In  conclusion,  let  me  say  that  Christian  patriot- 
ism is  demanding  a  recognition  of  the  mutual 
obligations  that  rest  upon  us  as  a  people.  I  de- 
light to  trace  in  the  rise  and  fall  of  nations  the 
finger  of  God,  and  I  strive  to  read  the  Almighty's 
plan  on  the  historic  page.  In  the  Far  East  ap- 
peared the  first  faint  light  of  civilization's  dawn, 
and  since  then,  "Westward  the  star  of  empire" 
has  taken  its  way,  while  each  succeeding  nation 
that  rose  in  its  luminous  path,  like  flowers  in  the 
footsteps  of  our  dear  Lord,  has  reached  a  higher 
plane  and  wrought  out  a  grander  destiny.  But 
the  cycle  is  now  complete.  The  Star  now  blazes 
in  the  world's  uttermost  West,  and  by  the  law  of 
progress  which  has  persevered  through  the  cen- 
turies past,  here  if  anywhere  must  we  look  for 
that  dawn  of  which  prophets  have  fondly  dreamed 
and  for  which  philanthropists  have  prayed.  The 
awful  responsibility  of  leadership  among  the  na- 
tions is  upon  us  as  a  people.  We  have  torn  the 
diadem  from  kingly  brows  and  have  placed  the 


74         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

scepter  of  authority  in  the  hands  of  the  people. 
We  have  undertaken  to  lead  the  human  race  from 
the  Slough  of  Despond  to  the  Delectable  Moun- 
tains where  justice  reigns  supreme  and  every  son 
of  man  may  find  life  worth  living.  We  must  make 
good  our  glorious  promises.  The  eyes  of  the 
world  are  upon  us  in  hope  or  fear,  in  prayer  or 
protest.  We  must  not  fail. 

AMERICA  IN  DANGER 

Thoughtful  men  tell  us  that  America  is  in 
danger,  that  it  may  yet  be  lost,  that  the  star- 
spangled  banner  may  yet  be  torn  to  tatters  by  the 
fierce  winds  that  blow  from  the  deep  caverns  of 
human  hatred,  greed,  and  selfishness.  DeTocque- 
ville,  the  great  French  economist,  tells  us  that 
American  democracy  is  only  an  experiment  that 
has  not  yet  demonstrated  its  power  to  solve  the 
problem  which  itself  creates.  Tolstoy,  the  Rus- 
sian philosopher,  before  his  death,  argued  that 
America  was  drifting  toward  a  cataclysm  in 
civilization,  that  it  would  make  the  descent  into 
the  valley  of  the  dark  ages  unless  both  church 
and  state  awakened  to  the  speedy  realization  of 
their  obligations  to  the  great  zones  of  humanity 
which  are  liable  to  breed  the  cyclones  that  shall 
sweep  our  civilization  from  the  face  of  the  earth. 
Our  American  patriotism  demands  that  we  shall 
heed  these  warnings.  "Shall  this  'government 
of  the  people,  by  the  people,  and  for  the  people' 
perish  from  the  earth,"  is  a  more  vital  query  to- 


MUTUAL  OBLIGATIONS  75 

day  than  when  Lincoln  delivered  his  immortal 
address  by  the  bloody  billows  of  Gettysburg. 
"Life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness" 
means  more  to-day  than  it  did  when  Washington 
prayed  at  the  snowy  altars  of  Valley  Forge.  The 
ideas  of  human  liberty,  human  perfection,  human 
happiness  are  permeating  our  civilization  as 
never  before.  Before  God,  I  do  believe  that  this 
age  of  selfishness,  greed,  and  heartlessness  will 
pass  as  passed  the  age  of  ignorance  and  the  age 
of  tyranny.  I  believe  the  day  will  come — O 
blessed  dawn! — when  both  church  and  state  will 
be  in  spirit  and  in  truth  a  band  of  brothers,  and 
the  wrongs  of  one  will  be  the  concern  of  all.  We 
must  go  forward,  we  must  press  on  to  grander 
heights  and  greater  glories  or  see  the  laurels  al- 
ready won,  turn  to  ashes  on  our  brows.  We  may 
sometimes  slip,  shadows  may  obscure  the  path, 
bowlders  may  bruise  our  feet,  there  may  be  days 
of  agony  and  months  of  mourning,  but  I  say  unto 
you,  brothers  and  sisters  mine,  that  the  church 
of  the  living  God  and  the  state  that  we  dearly 
love,  must  and  will  unite  their  hands,  their  heads, 
their  hearts  in  one  grand  effort  for  the  uplift  and 
salvation  of  the  race,  and  shall  determine  that 
this  civilization  of  ours,  born  of  our  fathers'  blood 
and  sanctified  by  our  mothers'  tears,  shall  never 
pass  away ;  and  that  the  church  of  the  living  God 
shall  place  a  redeemed  humanity  in  the  palm- 
pierced  hands  of  the  Prince  of  Peace. 


HERBERT  SWANN  WILKINSON 
FIRST  CHURCH,  EUGENE,  OREGON 

Herbert  Swann  Wilkinson  is  a  native  of  Michi- 
gan and  a  son  of  the  parsonage,  his  father  being 
the  Rev.  Thomas  Wilkinson,  of  the  Detroit  and 
later  of  the  Dakota  Conferences.  He  is  a  gradu- 
ate of  Cornell  College,  Mount  Vernon,  Iowa,  and 
of  the  Boston  University  School  of  Theology.  In 
1907  he  was  honored  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity  by  his  Alma  Mater.  He  joined  the 
Upper  Iowa  Conference  in  1893  and  has  since 
occupied  leading  pulpits  in  the  Dakota,  Califor- 
nia, and  Oregon  Conferences.  While  pastor  at 
Mitchell,  South  Dakota,  the  great  church  there 
was  built  under  his  leadership  and  the  church 
membership  trebled.  He  was  transferred  to  the 
California  Conference  and  served  the  Howard 
Street  Church  in  San  Francisco.  In  1910  he  was 
transferred  to  the  Oregon  Conference  and  sta- 
tioned at  Eugene,  Oregon,  where  during  his 
pastorate  one  of  the  finest  churches  on  the  Coast 
has  been  built  to  house  the  great  congregation  of 
over  thirteen  hundred  members. 

Eugene  is  the  seat  of  the  State  University  and 
the  church  here  occupies  one  of  the  strategic 
places  of  influence. 


76 


THE  GOSPEL  FOE  AN  AGE  OF  DOUBT 

HERBERT  SWANN  WILKINSON 

"And  Nathanael  said  unto  him,  Can  there  any  good 
thing  come  out  of  Nazareth?  Philip  saith  unto  him, 
Come  and  see." — John  1.  46. 

THE  saying  is  familiar,  "God  made  the  coun- 
try and  man  made  the  town";  and  a  friend  of 
mine  adds,  "But  the  devil  made  the  little  country 
town."  Nazareth  seems  to  have  been  such  a  little 
country  town.  Its  reputation  was  bad.  Its  peo- 
ple were  held  in  the  grip  of  an  unbelief  which 
made  Jesus  marvel  at  them,  and  made  it  impos- 
sible for  him  to  do  many  mighty  works  there.  It 
was  Nazareth  which  attempted  his  life,  so  that  it 
seemed  best  to  remove  his  headquarters  to  Caper- 
naum. Nathanael  was  from  the  same  province 
and  knew  its  character  well,  and  he  asks,  "Can 
any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth?"  Philip 
does  not  attempt  to  argue  the  question  but  throws 
out  the  challenge,  "Come  and  see." 

It  is  now  some  years  since  Henry  van  Dyke 
wrote  his  book  The  Gospel  for  an  Age  of  Doubt. 
The  age  is,  however,  still  accurately  characterized 
by  that  title.  Doubt,  however,  may  be  used  in 
two  senses. 

77 


78         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

1.  DOUBT  AS  SCRUTINY 

This  is  the  sense  in  which  Dr.  Van  Dyke  used 
it.  Not  unbelief,  but  scrutiny.  It  signifies  an 
attitude  of  mind  which  seeks  information,  which 
probes  for  the  foundations  of  belief  and  au- 
thority. The  symbol  of  the  age  is  a  question 
mark;  its  motto  is  "Query."  The  question  mark, 
however,  does  not  signify  a  desire  to  prove  things 
untrue,  but  to  establish  them  in  their  true  char- 
acter as  either  true  or  false.  Perhaps  below  such 
a  spirit  is  a  high  quality  of  faith — the  faith  that 
life's  highest  interests  are  served  only  by  those 
things  which  are  true;  a  faith  that  the  soul  can 
never  be  nourished  at  the  breast  of  falsehood; 
that  no  fires  of  holy  aspiration  can  be  kindled  at 
the  altar  of  a  lie;  a  faith  that  the  God  of  truth 
can  only  be  approached  through  the  avenues  of 
sincere  intellectual  processes,  and  that  reason  and 
experience,  thought  and  life  will  ultimately  dis- 
cover him. 

As  far  as  this  is  true  of  our  age,  or  of  an  in- 
dividual, it  should  be  an  occasion  for  gratification 
rather  than  alarm.  Could  soil  be  more  propitious 
for  producing  a  vital  religion?  Does  anyone  be- 
lieve that  the  pursuit  of  truth,  fearlessly,  sin- 
cerely, passionately,  would  move  us  farther  away 
from  God,  who  is  its  source  and  goal?  Would 
it  not  be  folly,  would  it  not  be  false,  would  it  not 
be  treasonable  to  ourselves  and  to  God  to  think 
and  say  that  the  age  of  highest  intellectual  ac- 
tivity necessarily  was  moving  away  from  belief 


GOSPEL  FOR  AN  AGE  OF  DOUBT      79 

in  God  and  desire  for  a  life  of  harmony  with  his 
will? 

2.  DOUBT  AS  UNCERTAINTY.    PERPLEXITY 

This  is  also  prevalent  in  our  time  to  a  greater 
degree.  It  would  be  remarkable  if  it  were  not. 
We  have  been  and  are  living  in  an  age  of  transi- 
tion. The  intellectual  turmoil  of  the  past  fifty 
years  has  never  been  equaled  in  the  history  of 
thought.  It  is  no  wonder  that  men  are  still  gasp- 
ing for  breath  amid  the  swirling  currents  that 
have  come  upon  us  during  the  past  few  decades. 
Science,  with  its  evolutionary  view  of  the  uni- 
verse, pushed  out  the  sides  and  ends  of  the  world. 
Archceology  found  such  masses  of  material  that 
we  have  constructed  great  civilizations  back 
yonder  in  what  we  had  regarded  as  the  unpeopled 
past.  The  critical  method  rose  up  like  a  young 
giant  whose  wine  had  gone  to  his  head,  and  we 
feared  he  was  running  amuck  through  the  deli- 
cate gardens  of  faith.  Psychology  probed  rather 
remorselessly  into  the  sacred  experiences  of  the 
soul,  and  we  wondered  if  the  holy  places  of  the 
inner  life  were  not  being  touched  by  profane 
hands.  Some  day  we  shall  realize  as  we  do  not 
now  the  turmoil  of  these  tremendous  years  and 
shall  see  how  vital  was  the  faith  which  lived 
through  them  and  gathered  from  them  the  nutri- 
ment and  the  exercise  which  made  faith  mightier 
than  ever.  Any  one  of  these  great  movements 
would  have  given  exhilaration  to  the  generation 


80         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

which  must  encounter  it.  Together  they  formed 
a  menace  to  the  footing  of  any  faith  that  was  not 
held  steady  by  a  personal  vision  of  Christ.  Dr. 
H.  G.  Mitchell  used  to  say  to  his  students  as  they 
plunged  into  the  vexing  Old  Testament  problems, 
"Young  men,  if  you  have  personal  knowledge  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  such  experiences  with  him  day 
by  day,  that  he  is  the  most  real  of  all  realities  to 
you,  you  are  ready  for  these  perplexing  problems ; 
if  you  are  not  sure  of  your  relationship  to  him, 
you  are  not  ready  for  this  study,  or  for  the 
Christian  ministry."  Nor,  friends,  are  you 
ready  for  life.  Christ  alone  is  the  resolver  of 
doubt.  He  alone  is  the  irrefutable  argument, 
the  invincible  champion,  the  impregnable  fortress 
of  faith. 

Philip  gave  the  answer  which  an  honest  investi- 
gator would  covet.  It  is  a  challenge  to  the  scien- 
tific spirit.  Is  this  the  age  of  science?  Then 
here  is  its  challenge.  Christianity  invokes  the 
age  to  investigate  its  claims. 

Two  great  maxims  rule  in  the  scientific  world. 
The  first  is,  "Be  sure  of  your  facts."  So  Paul 
says,  "Prove  all  things;  hold  fast  that  which  is 
good."  Nothing  can  be  more  vital  to  Christian 
living  than  a  clear  and  vivid  understanding  of 
the  facts  upon  which  the  Christian  faith  is  based. 
It  would  be  gratifying  to  think  the  age  is  disposed 
to  examine  carefully,  searchingly,  exhaustively, 
into  the  facts  and  phenomena  of  Christianity. 
We  do  not  fear  the  disposition  to  investigate  so 


GOSPEL  FOR  AN  AGE  OF  DOUBT      81 

much  as  the  disposition  to  ignore.  The  facts  are 
here.  Facts  of  its  history,  of  its  achievements, 
its  teachings,  its  moral  reconstructions,  its  moral 
inspirations.  Its  effects  upon  personal  and  social 
life.  We  say,  "Study  the  facts."  Divest  your- 
self in  true  scientific  spirit  of  preconceived  no- 
tions, of  inherited  prejudices,  and  study  the  facts, 
for  by  these  methods  we  attain  success. 

The  second  great  maxim  of  science  is,  "Adopt 
that  theory  of  explanation  which  presents  fewest 
difficulties  while  best  explaining  all  the  facts." 
Accept  that  theory  as  true  and  order  your  work 
by  it  until  you  get  a  better  one.  That  is  the  scien- 
tific method.  That  is  what  science  is  doing  with 
the  theory  of  gravitation.  It  is  but  a  theory.  But 
it  works  fairly  well.  That  is  what  science  is 
doing  with  the  theory  of  light,  of  sound,  of  heat ; 
with  its  theories  of  atoms  and  of  evolution.  They 
are  merely  speculative — all  of  them.  But  they 
will  govern  the  activities  of  the  scientific  world 
until  they  are  superseded  by  better  ones. 

Apply  this  maxim  to  Christianity.  There  is  no 
such  theory  of  explanation  of  the  universe  as  that 
which  begins  the  Hebrew  Scriptures — "In  the  be- 
ginning God."  There  is  no  scientific  theory  of 
which  I  know  which  does  not,  unless  we  are  to 
do  violence  to  logic,  require  a  God  to  make  it 
work.  There  is  no  scheme  of  morality  which 
finds  either  consistency  or  authority  without  the 
implication  of  God  as  revealed  in  the  Book  of 
God.  There  is  no  working  explanation  of  human 


82         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

life  which  compares  in  helpfulness  and  inspira- 
tion with  that  found  in  the  New  Testament. 
There  is  no  adequate  satisfaction  of,  or  explana- 
tion of,  spiritual  desires  outside  of  that  which 
is  provided  here.  Men  want  help.  Christ  gives 
it.  Men  want  the  sense  of  harmony  and  union 
with  the  Infinite — Christ  supplies  it.  Men  want 
some  explanation  of  trouble  and  sorrow — Christ 
affords  it.  Men  want  the  feeling  that  at  the  heart 
of  the  world  is  some  one  that  cares,  that  life  is 
not  without  some  tender  significance — Christ  as- 
sures it.  Men  want  a  second  chance  when  they 
have  failed — Christ  offers  it.  Men  want  the 
knowledge  of  an  Infinite  Companion  when  they 
go  down  into  valley  and  shadow — Christ  reveals 
One.  Men  want  answers  to  the  three  great  ques- 
tions which  Kant  says  no  man  can  avoid 
asking,  "What  can  I  know,  What  may  I  hope, 
What  must  I  do?" — Christ  answers  them  to  the 
heart  rest  of  increasing  millions.  Only  a  man 
incurably  unwise  would  turn  away  from  the  life 
begetting  affirmations  of  Jesus  to  the  barren 
denials  of  willful  doubt.  The  scientific  spirit 
of  this  modern  time  ought  to  save  him  from  such 
superlative  folly. 

The  answer  of  Philip  implied  that  Nathanael 
had  power  to  see.  The  court  to  which  Christ  ap- 
peals is  in  every  man's  soul.  Every  human  born 
into  the  world  has  that  in  him  which  responds  to 
the  truth.  Paul  said,  "Commending  ourselves  to 
every  man's  conscience."  The  gospel  is  adjusted 


GOSPEL  FOR  AN  AGE  OF  DOUBT      83 

to  the  fundamental  nature  of  man.  When  Christ 
commanded  his  disciples  to  disciple  all  nations  he 
knew  his  gospel  would  work.  "He  knew  what 
was  in  man."  When  preached  to  Greek  it  took 
hold  of  the  heart.  When  preached  at  Rome  it 
found  followers.  When  men  took  it  into  the 
savage  tribes  of  Germany  it  found  lodgment  in 
their  wild  bosoms  and  subdued  their  wildness. 
The  dweller  amid  the  eternal  snows  finds  it  speaks 
to  his  heart.  William  Taylor  went  to  India  with 
the  flaming  message,  and  the  sons  of  Brahma  laid 
hold  of  it.  He  took  it  to  the  Kaffirs  of  South 
Africa — savage,  naked,  untouched  by  tradition  of 
Christianity — and  they  laid  hold  of  it.  Han- 
nington  suffered  martyrdom  in  Uganda  to  tell  the 
story,  and  Uganda  is  becoming,  is,  a  Christian 
state.  Bishop  Joyce,  of  blessed  memory,  used  to 
tell  with  burning  eloquence  how  he  visited  mis- 
sion after  mission  in  his  trip  of  supervision 
around  the  world,  and  how  as  he  presided  at  the 
Japanese  Conferences  his  heart  was  thrilled  as 
men  told  with  shining  faces  of  the  joy  of  their 
souls  at  the  salvation  of  Jesus ;  in  China  the  chil- 
dren of  Confucius  stood  in  quiet  dignity  and  told 
how  the  story  of  Jesus  had  made  their  lives  new ; 
how  in  India  the  children  of  the  Vedas  who  had 
become  the  children  of  the  Gospels  told  how  Jesus 
had  given  them  the  "stillness  of  the  heart";  how 
in  western  Africa  the  emancipated  slaves  of  a 
worse  than  physical  slavery  shouted  with  ecstatic 
joy  the  praises  of  a  saving  Christ,  and  how  from 


84         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

his  own  land  all  around  the  world  he  had  heard 
in  every  tongue  the  testimony  of  the  gospel's 
power  to  satisfy  the  soul  of  man. 

Sometimes  men  fear  that  religion  will  cease  to 
hold  the  heart  of  man.  Sometimes  they  fear  that 
the  altars  of  faith  will  be  deserted,  that  the 
sacred  books  need  defense,  that  the  gospel  will 
lose  its  power.  Fear  not,  my  fellow  man.  The 
gospel  is  given  to  satisfy  the  fundamental  needs 
of  men.  The  music  of  redemption  will  never  cease 
to  set  the  chords  of  life  vibrating.  The  thunder 
of  righteousness,  temperance,  and  judgment  to 
come  will  never  cease  to  make  men  tremble.  The 
thoughts  of  the  life  to  come  will  never  cease  to 
woo.  The  birdling  born  in  the  chill  Northland, 
just  after  the  snows  of  winter  are  running  away 
as  laughing  brooklets,  play  about  the  sunny 
meadows  all  through  the  long  summer  without 
much  care,  but  grow  restless  as  the  leaves  begin 
to  fade  and  fall  and  days  grow  dull  and  chill  and 
the  sting  of  the  wind  grows  sharper.  Soon  the  old 
haunts  no  longer  look  like  home  and  no  longer 
satisfy.  Then  the  call  of  the  Southland,  never 
seen,  grows  louder  and  louder  in  the  trembling 
heart  of  the  bird  until  one  day  its  timidity  be- 
comes daring,  and  it  flies  away  and  away  to  the 
land  of  perennial  summer.  Just  so  the  heart  of 
man  will  always  hear  the  call  of  the  fadeless 
summertime  of  the  soul.  God,  and  duty,  and 
eternal  life  correspond  to  ineradicable  native  con- 
stituents of  the  soul  of  man.  I  do  not  fear  that 


GOSPEL  FOR  AN  AGE  OP  DOUBT      85 

you  will  not  be  able  to  see  if  you  come  to  Christ ; 
1  only  fear  that  you  may  not  come. 

WHAT  IT  MEANT  TO  SEE 

Philip  asked  Nathanael  to  see — the  Christ,  not 
the  disciples;  to  see  the  model  rather  than  the 
copies.  The  followers  of  Christ  are  often  like 
children  in  school  attempting  to  reproduce  in 
their  awkward  unskillful  lines  the  picture  which 
the  skillful  teacher  draws  in  lines  of  perfect  grace. 
I  do  not  mean  to  minimize  the  value  of  those 
whom  the  apostle  declared  were  "living  epistles" 
(thank  God!  there  are  myriads  of  saints  who  do 
show  forth  the  likeness  of  their  Lord)  but  to 
emphasize  the  truth  that  no  man  can  be  more 
than  an  imperfect  copy  of  his  Christ.  No  man 
should  look  at  inconsistent  Christians  who  can 
look  at  an  incomparable  Christ. 

The  invitation  to  come  meant  to  hear  Ms  words. 
They  are  not  many.  You  could  read  them  all  in 
thirty  minutes.  You  can  put  the  entire  record  of 
his  life  as  given  by  Mark,  on  the  front  page  of 
the  Sunday  newspaper.  His  words — hear  them. 
You  will  discover  why  they  said  "Never  man 
spake  like  this  man."  He  dropped  his  thought 
upon  the  transient  air,  and  as  men  breathed  it 
they  became  transformed  and  transfigured.  These 
words  are  like  cubes  of  incandescent  moral  illu- 
mination. They  are  dynamic  with  moral  energy. 
He  drops  them  so  quietly  we  almost  wonder  at 
the  commotions  they  arouse.  We  marvel  at  the 


86         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

transformations  they  effect.  He  himself  called 
them  leaven — to  stir  up  ferment.  He  called  them 
seeds  to  bring  forth  harvests.  He  called  them 
imperishable.  Heaven  and  earth  should  pass  but 
not  they.  He  called  them  keys  of  privilege — "if 
any  man  keep  my  words,  he  shall  ask  what  he 
will."  They  are  the  ground  of  our  faith,  the  in- 
spiration of  our  morality,  the  stars  of  our  hope, 
and  the  pledge  of  our  immortality. 

The  invitation  was  to  feel  his  personality.  The 
sunshine  needs  no  argument.  It  is  its  own  dem- 
onstration. Christ  is  his  own  demonstration.  In 
his  presence  the  confession  comes  tumultuously 
from  the  lips  of  Nathanael — "Rabbi,  thou  art  the 
the  Son  of  God."  Henry  Drummond  says,  "No 
man  can  spend  five  minutes  a  day  in  the  com- 
pany of  Jesus  without  the  transformation  of  his 
life.' 

The  invitation  meant  a  call  to  an  experience 
with  him.  This  will  hold  you  steady.  Do  you 
know  why  Christians  have  kept  their  joy,  their 
faith,  their  hope,  their  song,  while  the  scholars 
have  excitedly  debated  whether  Genesis  was  his- 
tory, myth,  folk  lore,  poetry?  Do  you  know  why 
it  has  not  seemed  to  matter  whether  the  Penta- 
teuch was  written  in  the  time  of  Moses  or  in  the 
time  of  Josiah?  Do  you  know  why  Christians 
have  not  been  worried  greatly  over  the  author- 
ship of  Isaiah  or  the  historicity  of  the  book  of 
Daniel? 

Because   they   have   made  acquaintance   with 


GOSPEL  FOR  AN  AGE  OF  DOUBT      87 

Jesus  Christ;  because  nothing  can  ever  erase 
from  memory  what  he  did  for  them  in  the  hour 
when  they  gave  themselves  to  his  guidance  and 
his  care;  because  the  most  real  things  and  the 
most  satisfying  experiences  of  their  lives  have 
flowed  from  their  association  with  him;  because 
by  daily  fellowship  they  had  knowledge  of  him 
utterly  independent  of  written  word,  and  debates 
of  authorship,  and  problems  of  science,  and 
philosophy,  and  the  methods  by  which  worlds 
were  made.  What  compare  all  evidences  besides 
the  evidence  of  a  spiritual  fact  which  has  become 
the  supreme  significance  of  life!  They  have  been 
steadied  in  the  moment  of  calamity,  they  have 
been  comforted  in  the  hour  of  sorrow,  they  have 
been  made  brave  in  the  hour  of  danger,  they  have 
been  exalted  in  spirit  at  the  expectation  of  death 
by  the  gracious  ministry  of  the  spirit  of  Christ 
which  has  come  to  be  their  spirit,  and  the  con- 
sciousness of  this  spiritual  possession  has  been 
a  perpetual  victory  and  a  continual  joy.  They 
know  that  life  has  been  vastly  different  since  the 
day  they  came  with  full  purpose  of  heart  to  follow 
Christ.  Sorrow,  toil,  pleasure,  ideal,  hope,  moral 
character,  all  have  had  a  glow  and  warmth  and 
beauty. 


CLARENCE  TRUE  WILSON 

GENERAL  SECRETARY,  METHODIST  TEMPERANCE 
SOCIETY,  TOPEKA,  KANSAS 

Clarence  True  Wilson  was  born  in  Milton, 
Delaware,  on  April  12,  1872,  and  received  his 
education  in  Washington  Academy,  Princess 
Anne,  Maryland,  and  Wilmington  Conference 
Academy  of  Dover,  Delaware.  At  the  age  of  six- 
teen, during  all  his  spare  time,  he  was  in  a  law- 
yer's office  and  studied  Blackstone  and  Kent's 
commentaries.  Soon  after  this  he  was  converted 
and  felt  himself  called  to  the  ministry.  A  few 
nights  after  his  conversion  he  was  invited  to 
speak  in  his  church  before  a  crowded  audience. 
A  revival  started,  which  resulted  in  the  conver- 
sion of  many.  Being  called  upon  for  a  similar 
service  elsewhere,  he  was  soon  in  the  midst  of  a 
marked  career  as  a  boy  preacher.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen  he  entered  Saint  John's  College,  Annap- 
olis, Maryland,  and  served  a  student  charge.  At 
eighteen  was  ordained  deacon  and  at  twenty  as 
elder.  From  his  eighteenth  to  his  twentieth  year 
he  served  as  pastor  in  the  Wilmington  and  New 
York  East  Conferences,  where  he  had  an  emi- 
nently successful  career.  Since  1009  he  has  been 
General  Secretary  of  the  Methodist  Temperance 
Society.  He  received  his  B.A.  from  the  University 
of  Southern  California;  Ph.B.  from  San  Joaquin 
Valley  College;  B.D.  from  McClay  College  of 
Theology,  and  D.D.  from  Saint  John's  College, 
Maryland. 

88 


THE  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  SIN 

CLARENCE  TRUE  WILSON 

"Every  one   that  doeth   sin   doeth   also   lawlessness; 
and  sin  is  lawlessness." — 1  John  3.  4  (R.  V.). 
"All  unrighteousness  is  sin." — 1  John  5.  17  (R.  V.). 

WHAT  would  life  have  been  without  sin?  what 
the  present  state  of  the  earth,  if  Adam  and  his 
posterity  had  remained  true  to  God?  What  the 
duration  of  human  existence  in  this  world  ?  What 
the  nature  of  our  employments  here?  What  our 
prospective  destiny  there?  Who  can  tell  the 
essential  conditions  of  our  probation  or  describe 
the  means  of  our  conveyance  to  glory,  had  not 
Satan  tempted  and  had  no  man  sinned?  Who 
can  fancy  what  even  our  poor  world  might  have 
been  without  sin's  defilement  and  death's  destruc- 
tion? None  can  think  of  death  with  any  degree 
of  terror  if  you  remove  its  sting;  and  all  know 
that  the  sting  of  death  is  sin. 

What  is  sin?  How  did  it  get  here?  Why  does 
it  remain?  Are  there  serious  consequences  to 
follow  its  commission?  This  is  not  the  time  to 
discuss  the  absolute  origin  of  sin.  That  must  re- 
main a  sealed  mystery.  The  keenest  intellects 
have  wrestled  with  the  problem  and  found  no  end 
in  wandering  mazes  lost.  There  are  many  the- 


90         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

ories — metaphysical,  dualistic,  materialistic;  but 
upon  these  we  have  not  time  to  dwell.  The  origin 
of  sin  in  the  human  race  comes  within  the  limits 
of  our  knowledge,  for  it  is  accounted  for  in  the 
Bible. 

The  historical  character  of  the  earlier  chapters 
of  Genesis  is  denied  by  some ;  yet  the  truth  of  its 
principles  and  facts  is  vouched  for  by  the  New 
Testament  and  by  all  experience.  Man  in  the 
image  of  God,  a  personal  being,  and  placed  under 
the  law  of  probation,  that  he  may  rise  from 
simple  innocence  to  free  obedience  and  positive 
righteousness,  sins  and  falls  under  condemnation 
and  penalty.  Thus  the  poisoned  fountain  of 
moral  evil  is  opened  in  the  world,  and  its  streams 
are  universal  in  the  human  race. 

That  sin  is  here  no  one  doubts.  As  to  how  it 
came  I  would  rather  take  the  statement  of  the 
God  who  knows  than  the  guess  of  any  man.  The 
Bible  records  the  facts  and  gives  us  the  prin- 
ciples. Its  first  chapters  show  us  man  as  a  copy 
of  his  Creator.  This  has  relation  to  his  nature 
and  in  a  sense  to  his  character.  Take  the  great 
doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  why  deny  that  as  impos- 
sible to  God,  while  conscious  of  the  threefold 
nature  of  man?  How  clear  the  Scriptures  make 
this  matter!  They  teach  that  man  has  a  body 
(Greek,  soma) ;  and  a  mind  (Greek,  psyche), 
from  which  we  get  our  word  "psychology" — the 
science  which  treats  of  the  soul ;  but  he  is  a  Spirit 
( Greek,  pneuma) .  How  many  blunders  in  biblical 


CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  SIN         91 

interpretation  are  made  by  failing  to  recognize 
this  threefold  nature?  Certainly,  our  resemblance 
to  Deity  goes  this  far:  as  God  is  a  Spirit,  man  is 
a  spirit  possessed  of  intellect,  sensibility,  and 
will.  With  such  a  personality  God  destined  us  to 
be  free.  He  gave  us  the  power  of  volition  and  the 
law  of  choice.  And  the  clearest  idea  of  sin  is 
found  in  defining  it  to  be  the  abuse  of  moral 
freedom. 

The  Christian  idea  of  sin  is  a  theistic  concep- 
tion. It  includes  the  idea  of  God  and  our  re- 
lation to  him.  It  differs  in  this  from  all  other 
religions.  Without  the  idea  of  God  there  can  be 
no  such  thing  as  sin  in  the  Christian  sense.  There 
may  be  the  conception  of  evil,  vice,  and  crime; 
and  these  enter  into  the  thought  of  sin,  but  are 
apart  from  the  idea  of  God;  they  do  not  consti- 
tute it.  "Evil"  is  a  generic  term  expressive  of 
conditions  which  wrong  the  sentiments  of  man- 
kind. Vice  is  the  ethical  idea  of  a  violation  of 
right,  and  is  treated  by  those  who  consider  public 
morals.  Crime  is  a  civil  term  for  an  offense 
against  the  government.  But  sin  is  the  transgres- 
sion of  the  known  will  of  God.  It  may  consist  of 
a  commission,  where,  by  an  overt  act,  a  divine  law 
is  violated,  or  an  omission  where  a  rule  of  duty 
is  neglected.  There  are  sins  against  one's  self 
(Num.  16.  38;  Acts  16.  28)  and  against  one's 
fellow  creature  (Gen.  42.  22;  Matt.  18.  21),  but 
all  sin  is  primarily  an  offense  against  God  (Deut. 
20.  18). 


92         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

How  vividly  did  Joseph  realize  this  truth ! 
Who  does  not  recall  with  admiration  his  reply 
to  his  tempter — "How  can  I  do  this  great 
wickedness  and  sin  against  God?"  It  was  the 
sense  of  God's  presence  and  relation  which  over- 
whelmed David  with  conscious  guilt.  He  had 
committed  an  awful  crime.  One  wrong  Jed  to 
another.  Falling  into  deep  vice,  he  realized  his 
situation  and  in  deep  contrition  confessed, 
"Against  thee,  thee  only,  have  I  sinned,  and  done 
that  which  is  evil  in  thy  sight."  He  saw  that  he 
was  separated  from  God,  the  soul's  Sun,  around 
which  we  were  made  to  revolve  in  orderly  pro- 
cession. No  wonder  he  recognized  his  unfitness 
to  approach  the  Deity,  and  cried :  "Hide  thy  face 
from  my  sin,  and  blot  out  my  transgression. 
Cast  me  not  away  from  thy  presence  and  take  not 
thy  Holy  Spirit  from  me."  While  it  is  true  that 
God  made  us  free,  it  is  no  less  true  that  he  had 
a  noble  purpose  for  each  life.  The  psalmist  in  the 
same  confession  said,  "Behold  thou  desirest  truth 
in  the  inner  parts,  and  in  the  hidden  parts  thou 
wilt  make  me  to  know  wisdom,"  and  declared 
that  when  cleansed  and  restored,  "Then  will  I 
teach  transgressors  thy  ways,  and  sinners  shall 
be  converted  unto  thee."  Here  he  shows  that  the 
divine  purpose  for  each  life  is  first  true  character 
and  then  noble  service.  Every  man's  life  is  a 
plan  of  God  with  a  high  aim,  but  sin  is  a  missing 
of  the  mark. 

Sin  is  the  act  of  the  intelligent,  moral  creature. 


CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  SIN        93 

Its  center  and  source  is  the  will.  As  such  it  is 
an  act  of  selfishness.  Ceasing  to  acknowledge 
God  as  the  central  source  of  love  and  authority, 
who  ought  to  be  obeyed,  the  sinner  becomes  him- 
self a  center  and  source  of  conduct  and  life.  Thus 
the  divine  order  for  man's  life  is  broken,  and  man, 
the  sinner,  shapes  his  own  ends  according  to  his 
own  will.  The  prodigal  son  gathered  his  portion 
together  and  took  his  journey  into  a  far  coun- 
try, and  there  wasted  his  substance  with  riotous 
living — pure  selfishness.  Sin  is  lawlessness,  for 
the  selfish  life  means  riot,  vice,  crime,  and  op- 
position to  law.  But  when  the  prodigal  came  to 
himself  he  returned  with  correct  views  of  sin  and, 
therefore,  of  repentance:  "Father,  I  have  sinned 
against  heaven  and  in  thy  sight,  and  am  no  more 
worthy  to  be  called  thy  son."  This  relation  of 
sin  to  God  is  illustrated  by  the  familiar  story  of 
the  father  who  took  his  child,  a  Sunday  school 
boy,  on  an  expedition  of  theft.  When  they  came 
to  their  neighbor's  fruit  tree  and  were  about  to 
fill  the  bag,  the  thief  carefully  looked  round  to 
every  point  of  the  compass  and  put  forth  his  hand 
to  pluck  the  ripened  fruit,  when  the  child's  voice 
startled  him  with,  "Father,  you  forgot  to  look 
up."  And  it  is  just  this  leaving  God  aut  of  the 
account  which  constitutes  sin. 

There  are  men  with  scholastic  tendencies,  who, 
always  getting  out  of  practical  problems  by  ask- 
ing theoretic  questions,  inquire,  "Is  sin  a  reality?" 
I  reply  that  reality  is  not  limited  to  entities.  All 


94         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

reality  may  be  distributed  under  three  categories, 
namely,  substance,  attributes,  and  relations.  Sin 
is  not  a  substance;  it  takes  nothing  from  and 
adds  nothing  to  the  material  of  the  universe ;  nor 
is  it  an  attribute,  being  rather  an  act  than  a 
characteristic  of  humanity ;  yet  it  is  a  reality  and 
not  a  mere  negative.  It  sets  up  a  false  and  wrong 
relation  toward  God,  fellow  creature,  and  self. 
It  is  a  reality,  an  evil  reality  of  being  in  a  wrong 
attitude  toward  God,  toward  nature,  and  toward 
goodness. 

The  Bible  always  treats  of  sin  as  a  serious  mat- 
ter. It  names  it,  "an  offense  to  God,"  "trespass," 
an  "iniquity,"  "a  transgression,"  a  "want  of  con- 
formity," "lawlessness,"  "unrighteousness."  As 
to  its  properties,  we  are  told  it  is  wrong,  vile, 
foolish,  dangerous,  ruinous,  exceeding  sinful.  It 
is  illustrated  by  comparing  it  to  an  unfruitful 
vine,  an  unfaithful  steward,  ungrateful  children, 
harlotry,  a  "sow  wallowing  in  the  mire,"  a  "dog 
returning  to  his  vomit."  God  gives  his  warning 
of  its  end  in  clear  revelations,  marvelous  retri- 
butions, the  mutterings  of  conscience,  the  course 
of  Providence,  some  death-bed  scenes,  and  the 
divine  character.  It  is  such  a  real  experience  that 
God  and  man  must  reckon  with  it.  Sin  is  the  act 
of  rebellion  against  the  law  and  love  of  God.  In 
God  love  and  law  are  one,  and  our  relation  to  him 
and  abhorrence  of  lawlessness  should  be  such 
that  we  could  not  think  of  despising  either  his 
government  or  his  heart. 


CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  SIN        95 

The  true  aim  of  our  being  is  communion  with 
God  as  Father  and  obedience  to  God  as  Sovereign. 
He  is  the  center  to  which  in  love  and  obedience 
we  were  made  to  gravitate,  and  around  whom  as 
the  true  orbit  of  the  moral  universe  we  should 
revolve.  Saint  Augustine  said:  "O,  God,  thou 
hast  made  us  for  thyself,  and  our  hearts  are  rest- 
less until  they  rest  in  thee."  And  the  poet  asserts, 
"Our  wills  are  ours  to  make  them  thine."  But 
our  Father  thus  complains,  "I  have  nourished  and 
brought  up  children,  and  they  have  rebelled 
against  me"  (Isa.  1.  2).  "My  people  have  com- 
mitted two  evils:  they  have  forsaken  me,  the 
fountain  of  living  waters,  and  hewed  them 
out  cisterns,  broken  cisterns,  that  can  hold  no 
water"  (Jer.  2.  13).  Sin  is  selfish  because  it 
ignores  God;  lawless  because  it  rebels  against 
him.  All  unrighteousness  is  sin,  because  it  sepa- 
rates from  God,  and  ruinous  because  by  it  we 
miss  the  true  end  for  which  we  were  created. 
Such  a  life  is  self -destructive. 

Were  you  ever  stung  by  a  bee?  It  hurt  for  a 
moment,  possibly  for  an  hour;  but  the  bee  was 
ruined.  It  lost  its  sting  and  went  off  to  die  as 
the  result  of  stinging  you.  God  has  so  ordered 
it  that  we  can  sting  him  to  the  very  heart,  "But 
he  that  sinneth  against  me  wrongeth  his  own 
soul,"  "They  that  regard  lying  vanities  forsake 
their  own  mercy."  The  consequences  of  sin 
against  God  are  four: 

First,  guilt,  desert  of  punishment,  exposure  to 


96         PACIFIC  NOKTHWEST  PULPIT 

penalty.  Law  is  a  necessity  of  things,  and  pen- 
alty is  a  necessity  of  law.  Here  conscience  as- 
serts its  functions  and  power,  taking  peace  from 
the  soul  and  at'  times  slumber  from  the  eyes. 
There  is  the  sense  of  separation  from  God,  of 
loss  and  pain.  Guilt  at  its  height  wrings  from 
the  soul  the  cry,  "O  wretched  man  that  I  am! 
who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death  ?" 

It  was  the  confession  of  Joseph's  brethren. 
"We  are  verily  guilty  concerning  our  brother,  in 
that  we  saw  the  anguish  of  his  soul,  when  he  be- 
sought us,  and  we  would  not  hear;  therefore  is 
this  distress  come  upon  us."  It  was  this  that 
made  Felix  tremble  before  Paul's  reasoning,  and 
suggested  to  Herod  that  Jesus  might  be  John  the 
Baptist  risen  from  the  dead. 

Second,  depravity.  The  entail  of  sin  is  a  de- 
praved condition  of  the  whole  man,  that  vitiates 
the  entire  life.  It  is  this  that  gives  such  terrible 
effect  to  what  we  call  habit  in  the  case  of  those 
who  go  aside  from  the  path  of  obedience.  I  will 
not  enter  into  the  difficult  doctrine  of  depravity, 
but  whatever  it  is,  sin  is  the  cause. 

There  is  a  special  theory  of  the  theologians  re- 
specting native  depravity  called  original  sin,  a 
term  first  used  by  Tertullian,  one  of  the  Latin 
Fathers  in  the  early  years  of  the  third  century. 
This  theory  is  of  several  types.  The  Augustinian 
says  that  all  men  sinned  in  Adam;  the  Federal 
declares  that  Adam  stood  for  the  race,  and  so 
the  guilt  of  his  sin  was  imputed  to  the  race.  The 


CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  SIN        97 

Pelagian,  ancient  and  modern,  denies  both  these, 
and  asserts  that  Adam  rendered  himself  alone 
guilty,  and  that  all  men  are  born  pure  as  Adam 
was  before  the  fall.  The  truth  lies  midway  be- 
tween these  extremes.  The  theories  based  on  the 
laws  of  heredity  and  race  solidarity  are  less  stern 
than  the  first  and  less  loose  than  the  last.  No 
one,  of  course,  was  guilty  of  Adam's  sin  but  him- 
self, for  guilt  cannot  be  transferred  or  trans- 
mitted, but  all  suffer  because  he  sinned.  And  the 
principles  of  heredity  and  solidarity  of  humanity, 
with  which  science  is  now  at  work,  explain  and 
bear  out  such  Scriptures  as  1  Cor.  15.  22;  Rom. 
5.  12. 

Paul,  in  treating  of  sin  and  its  consequences, 
certainly  accepted  the  doctrine  of  race  heredity 
and  solidarity;  yet  he  never  hints  at  the  mon- 
strous teaching  that  any  soul  goes  to  perdition 
through  Adam's  sin.  While  it  is  true  that  sin 
reigned  in  death  from  Adam  until  Moses,  yet  sin 
is  not  imputed  where  there  is  no  law.  Left  to  it- 
self, the  human  will  tends  to  sin,  and  without  the 
aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit  falls  into  condemnation. 
But  there  is  a  great  contrast  between  Adam's 
offense  and  God's  gift  of  mercy.  For  if,  owing  to 
the  offense  of  one  man,  the  whole  race  died,  it  is 
still  more  certain  that  God's  mercy  and  the  gift 
given  in  his  mercy,  which  found  expression  in 
the  true  man,  Jesus  Christ,  were  lavished  upon 
the  whole  race  (Rom.  5.  15).  The  real  depravity 
to  be  feared  is  the  kind  that  is  brought  on  our- 


98         PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

selves.  Our  own  sins  have  poisoned  our  moral 
nature.  Every  sin  adds  to  the  force  of  a  bad 
habit.  Heredity  has  weakened  but  practice  has 
ruined  us. 

Third,  slavery.  Paul's  personification  of  sin  as 
a  tyrant,  whose  chains  no  man  can  break  without 
God's  help,  is  clearly  expressed  in  Romans,  first 
to  eighth  chapters.  This  gives  further  and  most 
impressive  illustration  of  the  power  of  habit.  The 
bondage  of  sin  must  be  recognized  before  it  can  be 
broken.  The  mission  of  the  spirit  is  to  awaken 
to  a  consciousness  of  sin.  All  forms  of  religion 
or  philanthropy  that  ignore  or  touch  lightly  the 
evil  of  sin  are  weak  in  their  power  to  reach  and 
help  a  needy  world.  This  is  the  weakness  of 
Buddhism,  Confucianism,  Mohammedanism,  and 
the  merely  ethical  cults  of  our  Christianity.  Sor- 
row, fate,  and  natural  consequences  are  all  they 
see,  but  sin  is  the  bitter  root  whence  all  this  evil 
fruit  springs.  Guilt,  depravity,  bondage,  death — 
this  is  the  crop  of  sin's  own  planting.  Read  the 
seventh  chapter  of  Romans  and  see  the  picture 
of  an  earnest  and  honest  Pharisee  trying  to  dis- 
entangle himself  from  these  consequences. 

In  Brazil  there  is  a  common  plant  which  forest 
dwellers  call  the  Metador,  or  Murderer.  Its 
slender  stem  creeps  at  first  along  the  ground,  but 
no  sooner  does  it  meet  a  vigorous  tree  than  with 
clinging  grasp  it  cleaves  to  it  and  climbs  it,  and 
as  it  climbs  keeps  at  short  intervals  sending  out 
short  arm-like  tendrils  that  embrace  the  tree. 


CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF  SIN        99 

As  it  ascends,  these  ligatures  grow  larger  and 
clasp  tighter.  Up  it  climbs,  a  hundred  feet,  or 
two  hundred  feet  if  need  be,  until  the  last,  the 
loftiest,  spire  is  gained  and  fettered.  Then,  as  if 
in  triumph,  the  parasite  shoots  a  huge  flowery 
head  above  the  strangled  summit  and  thence  from 
the  dead  tree's  crown  scatters  its  seed  to  do  again 
its  work  of  death.  So  does  sin  grow  and  grip, 
fasten  and  fetter  its  hapless  victims.  It  sprung 
up  into  the  garden  of  delight  and  has  spread 
through  the  ages  since. 

DEATH  is  A  RESULT  OF  SIN 

Man  was  made  for  immortality.  This  is  im- 
plied in  his  constitution  as  personal,  in  the  image 
of  God.  The  purpose  of  redemption  in  Christ  is 
a  complete  confirmation  of  this;  soul  and  body 
shall  bear  the  image  of  Christ  (Phil.  3.  20,  21; 
1  Cor.  15.  42). 

Looking  at  the  universality  of  sin  and  its  ap- 
palling power,  Huxley,  the  great  scientist,  said, 
"If  some  friendly  comet  would  fall  upon  our 
earth,  and  wipe  off  man,  it  would  be  a  blessing." 
But  I  am  old-fashioned  enough  to  believe  that 
man  was  meant  for  life,  and  not  for  death ;  that 
had  not  sin  come  in,  the  tree  of  life  meant  special 
immunity  from  death.  If  man  was  created  for  all 
he  is  capable  of  being,  he  was  intended  for  im- 
mortality. 

That  the  human  body  is  of  the  animal  kingdom 
and  subject  to  the  same  law  of  deterioration, 


100       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

death  and  dissolution  as  other  animals  cannot  be 
denied,  but  man  as  man  does  not  belong  to  the 
animal  kingdom  (Gen.  2.  7).  On  visiting  a  school 
the  German  emperor  asked  a  child,  "How  many 
kingdoms  are  there?" 

"Three:  the  mineral,  the  vegetable  and  the 
animal." 

"Which  one  do  I  belong  to?" 

Said  the  little  girl,  "The  kingdom  of  heaven, 
sire."  And  in  the  case  of  man's  body  there  was 
special  immunity  from  death  guaranteed  in  the 
tree  of  life.  His  probation  ended,  there  would 
have  been  a  painless  transition  to  a  higher  state. 
But  sin  canceled  that  special  immunity  in  the 
case  of  all  men,  and  only  in  Christ  is  there  re- 
covery of  the  high  distinction  to  which  man  was 
destined  from  the  first. 


II.     PUGET   SOUND 


A.  W.  LEONARD 

FIRST  CHURCH,  SEATTLE,  WASHINGTON 

A.  W.  Leonard  is  the  son  of  Dr.  Adna  B. 
Leonard  who  for  twenty-four  years  so  efficiently 
served  the  church  as  corresponding  secretary  of 
the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  received  his  education  in  the  follow- 
ing institutions :  New  York  University  ( B. A. )  ; 
Drew  Theological  Seminary  (B.D.) ;  and  Ohio 
Northern  University  (D.D.). 

Within  a  few  weeks  after  the  signing  of  the 
Protocol  in  Porto  Rico,  he  entered  the  mission 
work  of  our  church  under  the  direction  of  Dr. 
Frease,  of  South  America,  and  organized  the 
First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  San  Juan 
(English).  He  also  started  a  church  among  the 
English-speaking  colored  people  in  Puerta  de 
Terra  just  outside  San  Juan.  In  1901  he  became 
the  pastor  of  the  English-speaking  church  in 
Rome,  Italy,  and  taught  in  the  Theological  School 
of  the  same  place. 

He  has  served  the  following  appointments: 
Green  Village,  New  Jersey;  First  Church,  San 
Juan,  Porto  Rico;  First  Church,  Rome,  Italy; 
Grace.  Church,  Pique,  Ohio;  Central  Church, 
Springfield,  Ohio;  Walnut  Hills  Church,  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio;  and  is  now  serving  his  fifth  year  as 
pastor  of  the  First  Church,  Seattle,  Washington. 


102 


LIKE  UNTO  HIS  BRETHREN 


A.  W.  LEONARD 

"Wherefore  it  behooved  him  in  all  things  to  be  made 
like  unto  his  brethren."—  Heb.  2.  17. 


once  said  that  "as  Jesus  shows  God 
to  man,  so  he  exhibits  man  to  God."  In  Jesus 
Christ  God  is  revealed  to  man  and  man  is  revealed 
in  Christ. 

The  writer  of  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews  says, 
"In  all  things  .  .  .  like  unto  his  brethren."  John 
states  the  same  truth  (only)  in  a  different  way 
when  he  says,  "The  Word  was  made  flesh  and 
dwelt  among  us";  or,  better  still,  "The  Word  be- 
came flesh  and  tabernacled  among  us."  "Like 
unto  his  brethren  —  made  flesh."  Wondrous  state- 
ment, more  wondrous  truth. 

"Like  unto  his  brethren."  He  had  a  human 
mother.  A  mother's  oldest  son  was  killed  in  the 
Civil  War.  The  younger  children  heard  stories 
from  her  lips  of  his  greatness  and  of  his  devotion 
to  his  country.  She  loved  to  tell  her  neighbors 
and  her  friends  of  this  noble  son.  More  than  that, 
it  was  her  custom  frequently  to  gather  the 
younger  children  about  her  and  tell  them  of  the 
noble  life  their  soldier  brother  had  lived.  It  was 

103 


104       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

but  natural,  it  was  human.  In  the  same  way  we 
may  think  of  Mary,  the  mother  of  Jesus.  She 
was  the  friend  of  our  Lord's  original  apostles 
and  disciples,  and  after  his  crucifixion  made  her 
home  with  the  apostle  John.  It  is  only  natural 
to  think  of  her  as  telling  her  relatives  and  friends 
the  things  which  for  years  she  kept  secret,  "pon- 
dering, them  in  her  heart."  From  her  they  would 
learn  with  freshness  of  meaning  how  the  angel 
came  to  her  at  Nazareth  and  told  her  that  she  was 
to  have  a  Son  who  was  to  be  "great"  and  that  he 
would  "be  called  the  Son  of  the  Most  High,"  and 
that  he  would  become  the  inheritor  of  the  throne 
of  his  father,  David.  She  would  tell  how  upon 
her  the  Holy  Ghost  descended  and  the  "power  of 
the  Most  High  overshadowed  her,"  and  that  her 
Child  would  be  "called  Holy,  the  Son  of  God." 
And  then,  there  was  the  story  of  the  shepherds 
who  were  keeping  watch  over  their  flocks  by  night, 
when  they  saw  the  glory  of  God  and  heard  a 
heavenly  messenger  tell  them  that  there  had  been 
born  that  day  "in  the  city  of  David,  a  Saviour 
which  is  Christ  the  Lord."  A  little  later  they 
heard  "a  multitude  of  the  heavenly  host  praising 
God  and  saying,  'Glory  to  God  in  the  highest  and 
on  earth  peace,  good  will  toward  men/ >!  She 
would  tell  them  of  the  wise  men,  a  story  already 
very  familiar  to  them,  but  undoubtedly  she  re- 
peated it  again  and  again.  She  would  tell  how 
they  came  from  the  East  guided  by  the  light  of  a 
star,  and  that  when  they  found  her  Child  wor- 


LIKE  UNTO  HIS  BRETHREN         105 

shiped  him  as  the  King  of  the  Jews  and  offered 
him  gifts,  "gold,  frankincense,  and  myrrh."  Nor 
did  she  forget  to  tell  them  how  he  might  have 
perished  with  other  children  under  two  years  of 
age  in  Bethlehem  and  its  neighborhood,  but  for 
the  warning  which  Joseph  had  received  from 
God — "Take  the  young  child  and  his  mother  and 
flee  to  Egypt."  She  would  tell  how  he  grew  from 
infancy  to  childhood,  and  from  childhood  to 
youth,  and  also  how  he  grew  in  favor  both  with 
God  and  man.  There  were  also  his  relatives  and 
his  two  brothers,  James  and  Jude,  who  became 
his  disciples  after  his  resurrection ;  and  the  people 
would  remember  that  he  was  one  of  themselves, 
for  when  he  began  to  teach  in  the  synagogue  in 
which  he  worshiped  as  a  child,  they  said,  "Is  not 
this  Jesus,  and  was  not  his  father  Joseph?" 

"Like  unto  his  brethren."  That  is,  none  of  the 
characteristics  of  "his  brethren"  were  lacking. 
In  other  words,  in  Christ  Jesus  there  were  present 
all  the  characteristics  of  humanity.  The  apostles 
were  convinced  that  he  had  flesh  and  blood  like 
their  own.  He  was  sensitive  to  life's  pleasures 
and  pains.  When  he  was  returning  with  his  dis- 
ciples from  Bethany,  the  day  after  the  triumphal 
entry  into  Jerusalem,  the  record  states  that  "he 
was  hungry."  Wearied  with  his  journey,  he  sat 
on  the  side  of  Jacob's  Well.  In  crossing  the  sea 
of  Galilee  with  his  disciples,  he  slept  so  soundly 
that  the  waves  of  the  sftorm-tossed  sea  did  not 
wake  him.  At  the  grave  of  Lazarus  he  wept.  A 


106       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

woman,  a  sinner,  washed  his  feet  with  her  tears, 
and  another  woman,  Mary  of  Bethany,  poured 
precious  ointment  upon  his  head  and  upon  his 
feet.  The  traitor  kissed  him,  nails  pierced  his 
hands  and  his  feet,  the  sword  pierced  his  side,  and 
after  his  crucifixion  his  body  was  laid  in  a  tomb, 
and  Nicodemus  and  others  of  his  friends  brought 
spices  to  do  honor  to  the  body  of  Jesus,  according 
to  the  custom  of  the  times.  "He  was  made  like 
unto  his  brethren." 

Furthermore,  he  also  had  a  mind  subject  to  the 
limitations  which  he  himself  imposed.  Many  find 
difficulty  at  this  point.  Let  it  never  be  forgotten 
that  our  Lord  did  not  cease  to  be  the  Eternal  Son 
when  he  became  flesh  and  dwelt  among  us.  He 
knew  the  Father  as  no  one  else  knew  him.  Al- 
though he  possessed  extraordinary  power,  this  did 
not  obliterate  the  limitations  of  his  intellectual 
life.  Many  references  to  his  own  words  and  to 
circumstances  in  his  life  stand  as  proof  of  this 
statement.  For  example,  "He  hungered,"  and 
"seeing  a  fig  tree  afar  off  having  leaves,  he  came 
if  haply  he  might  find  anything  thereon."  He  did 
not  know  that  the  fig  tree  was  without  fruit  until 
he  came  near  to  it.  Concerning  his  return  to  this 
world,  he  himself  said,  "Of  that  day  and  hour, 
knowerth  no  one,  not  even  the  angels  of  heaven, 
neither  the  Son,  but  the  Father  only."  "He  was 
made  like  unto  his  brethren."  In  no  other  way 
could  God  have  revealed  himself  to  man.  In  be- 
coming flesh,  in  becoming  "like  unto  his  brethren," 


LIKE  UNTO  HIS  BRETHREN         107 

he  did  not  lay  aside  the  essential  facts  of  his 
deity.  He  simply  changed  the  form  of  manifesta- 
tion. The  Son  was  always  the  manifestation  of 
the  Father.  What  that  manifestation  was  in  the 
past  it  is  impossible  to  say,  for  it  has  not  been 
revealed  to  the  finite  mind.  Of  this  we  are  cer- 
tain, however,  that  he  was  the  Word — the  method 
of  communication  with  the  Eternal  God.  What- 
ever the  form  was,  he  laid  it  aside  for  the  purpose 
of  redemption  and  took  on  a  new  form  of  mani- 
festation. It  was  a  form  upon  which  man 
might,  look  and  by  which  they  might  come 
to  a  clearer  knowledge  of  the  Eternal  God.  Could 
we  penetrate  the  mysteries  of  the  Godhead,  we 
should  see  that  the  Son  was  the  perpetual  medium 
of  divine  expression. 

In  becoming  flesh  he  took  on  a  form  possible  of 
comprehension  by  man.  He  passed  from  the 
heavenly  to  the  earthly,  from  the  infinite  to  the 
finite.  He  passed  from  government  to  obedience, 
from  independent  cooperation  with  the  Deity  to 
dependent  submission  to  the  will  of  God.  It  has 
been  well  said:  "Never  before  the  Eternal  Word 
became  man  did  God  stand  among  his  creatures 
as  one  of  themselves,  walk  along  the  planes  by 
which  they  travel,  and  bear  the  necessary  limita- 
tions of  created  nature."  "It  behooved  him  in  all 
things  to  be  made  like  unto  his  brethren." 

Being  "made  like  unto  his  brethren,"  he  was  the 
sympathetic  Man.  The  world  craves  sympathy. 
One  of  the  most  lonely  beings  in  the  world  is  the 


108       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

person  for  whom  no  one  has  any  sympathy.  We 
all  crave  it.  We  want  those  who  will  sympathize 
with  us  in  our  sorrows.  We  want  the  touch  of 
human  sympathy  when  the  experiences  of  life 
weigh  us  down  and  our  souls  are  overwhelmed  by 
some  unexpected  crucial  test.  In  the  lonely  night 
of  sorrow  when  God  takes  from  us  a  loved  one,  or 
a  friend  proves  untrue,  or  a  son  or  a  daughter 
yields  to  the  tinsel  attractions  of  sin,  or  when  a 
fortune  is  suddenly  lost,  when  sickness  comes,  or 
other  things  take  place  that  depress  and  dis- 
courage us,  we  reach  out  for  and  respond  to  sym- 
pathy. This  is  only  human,  this  is  but  natural. 
He  who  craves  no  one's  sympathy  in  the  hard  and 
trying  experiences  of  life  is  abnormal.  If,  how- 
ever, sympathy  is  to  do  us  the  greatest  good,  it 
must  be  real.  Not  only  must  it  be  genuine  sym- 
pathy, but  if  it  would  count  for  most,  it  is  neces- 
sary that  sympathy  shall  be  expressed  by  one  who 
has  himself  passed  through  the  same  experience 
that  we  are  passing  through. 

A  friend  of  mine  once  told  me  of  an  experience 
he  had  as  a  pastor.  He  was  calling  on  a  grief- 
stricken  mother,  whose  wayward  daughter  was 
brought  back  to  the  old  home  dead.  The  mother's 
heart  was  not  only  broken,  but  the  terrific  sorrow 
had  crushed  it,  and  the  woman  seemed  to  be  as  one 
in  a  dream.  It  was  a  sorrow  too  deep  for  tears, 
it  was  a  wound  for  which  there  was  apparently 
no  balm  of  healing.  Friends  and  pastor  had  come 
to  express  their  sympathy.  Their  kind  words  were 


LIKE  UNTO  HIS  BRETHREN         109 

greatly  appreciated.  Their  tears  of  sympathy 
did  not  fall  -unobserved.  From  that  woman,  how- 
ever, there  came  no  sigh,  and  no  tear  dimmed  her 
eye.  There  was  no  convulsion  of  grief,  she  sat 
beside  her  sinful  daughter's  dead  body  like  a 
statue.  While  my  friend  was  in  the  room  en- 
deavoring to  comfort  her,  a  lady,  modest  and  re- 
fined in  appearance  and  bearing,  entered  the  door 
and  was  immediately  recognized  by  the  grief- 
stricken  mother.  She  at  once  drew  up  a  chair 
beside  her,  but  said  not  a  word.  Neither  one 
spoke.  In  a  moment  the  arm  of  the  new  comer 
was  affectionately  placed  around  the  waist  of  the 
other.  She  did  not  say  a  word,  but  she  did  put 
her  face  close  to  the  face  of  the  woman  whose 
daughter  lay  dead,  and  wept.  Soon  the  entire 
bearing  of  the  mother  had  noticeably  changed. 
Gracious  tears  came  and  she  found  almost  imme- 
diate relief.  The  secret  of  it  was  that  this  other 
woman  had  passed  through  an  identical  sorrow, 
and  when  she  entered  the  room  she  did  not  have 
to  speak  in  order  to  express  her  sympathy  because 
she  had  passed  through  the  same  sad  experience. 
She  knew,  and  therefore  could  sympathize  in  a 
way  which  was  impossible  to  others. 

"We  have  not  a  High  Priest  which  cannot  be 
touched  with  the  feeling  of  our  infirmities;  but 
was  in  all  points  tempted  like  as  we  are,  yet  with- 
out sin."  In  these  words,  the  sacred  writer  tells 
us  that  sympathy  lies  at  the  root  of  Christ's  effi- 
ciency as  our  Saviour,  his  ability  to  succor  the 


110       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

tempted  springs  out  of  his  own  experience  of 
temptation  and  the  conquest  of  it.  Sympathy  is 
sometimes  the  best  aid  we  can  receive.  To  be 
understood  and  considered,  to  have  appreciation 
and  hope  spent  upon  us  is  more  than  one  half 
the  battle. 

Carlyle  was  at  one  time  strongly  tempted  to 
give  up  striving  for  success  in  literature.  He 
wrote  to  a  friend,  "No  periodical  editor  wants 
me;  no  man  will  give  me  money  for  my  work; 
despicablest  fears  of  coming  to  absolute  beggary 
besiege  me."  His  "Sartor"  was  pronounced  by 
one  "clotted  nonsense,"  but  at  this  critical  junc- 
ture he  received  a  letter  from  some  friend  recog- 
nizing its  merit  and  this  one  voice  renewed  Car- 
lyle's  strength.  After  receiving  the  letter  Carlyle 
wrote,  "One  mortal,  then,  says  I  am  not  utterly 
wrong;  blessings  on  him  for  it."  But  for  this 
concrete  expression  of  sympathy  and  belief  in 
Carlyle,  the  world  might  have  lost  the  rich  con- 
tributions of  this  man  of  genius. 

This  is  one  part  of  the  aid  which  Christ's  sym- 
pathy brings  to  us.  He  believes  in  us.  When 
others  shake  their  heads  and  tell  us  it  is  no  use  to 
try,  he  speaks  to  us  in  our  night  of  despondency 
and  discouragement  and  tells  us  we  may  succeed. 
Jesus  could  not  become  our  Saviour  if  he  did  not 
know  from  personal  experience  what  is  involved 
in  turning  from  sin,  in  restraining  the  flesh,  and 
in  forswearing  the  world.  The  writer  of  the 
Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  assures  us  that  the  sym- 


LIKE  UNTO  HIS  BRETHREN         111 

pathy  of  Christ  is  due  to  the  fact  that  he  was 
"tempted  in  all  points  like  as  we  are,'7  and  that 
he  was  "made  like  unto  his  brethren." 

Before  leaving  the  subject  of  temptation,  let  us 
not  forget  that  it  is  not  a  sin  to  be  tempted,  but 
that  sin  begins  when  temptation  is  cherished,  in- 
dulged in,  and  consented  to.  Because  he  was 
made  like  unto  his  brethren,  our  Lord's  resistance 
to  temptation  was  a  human  resistance.  He 
achieved  his  victory  by  the  means  which  are  open 
to  all.  This  makes  him  a  brother  to  everyone. 

It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  most  violent 
temptations  are  those  which  appeal  to  evil  pas- 
sions. The  strength  of  temptation  depends  upon 
the  strength  of  the  feelings  appealed  to.  The 
finer  the  nature,  the  finer  the  temptation.  There- 
fore, Christ  with  his  sinless  human  nature  suf- 
fered the  whole  round  of  temptation  exquisitely. 
And  he  suffered  for  us.  "He  was  made  like  unto 
his  brethren." 

Jesus  is  the  Race-Man  because  he  has  passed 
through  all  the  experiences  of  life ;  because  he  was 
tempted  in  all  points  like  as  we  are;  because  he 
was  made  like  unto  his  brethren."  The  depth  and 
fullness  of  his  sympathy  leaps  all  barriers. 
Jowett  has  observed  that  we  confine  our  sympathy 
within  severe  conventional  limits.  He  says:  "It 
is  often  like  a  lake  in  a  private  park,  and  not  like 
the  stream  which  weds  together  the  private  park 
and  the  village  green.  It  is  often  the  dialect  of 
the  hamlet  rather  than  the  speech  of  the  people." 


112       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

This  is  true,  and  if  we  stop  to  think  seriously,  we 
shall  see  that  most  human  sympathy  is  narrow 
and  circumscribed.  It  goes  out  to  relatives, 
friends  of  a  restricted  circle,  or  to  the  community, 
the  commonwealth,  or  possibly  the  nation.  But 
where  is  one  who  carries  in  his  heart  the  sorrow 
for  the  world?  Where  is  there  one  whose  sym- 
pathy is  big  enough  to  be  world  inclusive?  Thank 
God,  there  is  one.  It  is  he  who  "was  made  like 
unto  his  brethren,"  whose  sympathy  is  always  at 
flood  tide,  for  the  sympathy  of  Christ  knows  no 
racial  boundaries  or  limitations.  Caste  and  class 
are  carried  away  in  the  boundlessness  of  Christ's 
overflowing  sympathy. 

Frederick  W.  Robertson  in  one  of  his  most  en- 
during and  soul-gripping  sermons  entitled  "The 
Human  Race  Typified  by  the  Man  of  Sorrows," 
said,  in  referring  to  the  world-sympathy  of  Christ, 
that  it  is  implied  in  his  self-chosen  title,  namely, 
"The  Son  of  man."  He  calls  attention  to  the  two 
aspects  in  which  we  may  consider  the  Redeemer 
of  the  world.  We  may  think  of  him  as  Christ  or 
we  may  think  of  him  as  the  "Son  of  man."  When 
we  think  of  him  as  the  Christ  he  stands  before  us 
as  God  claiming  our  admiration;  but  he  says: 
"When  we  think  of  him  in  that  character  in  which 
he  so  loved  to  describe  himself,  as  the  Son  of  man, 
he  stands  before  us  as  a  type  or  specimen  of  the 
whole  human  race.  As  if  the  blood  of  the  whole 
race  were  in  his  veins,  he  calls  himself  the  Son 
of  man.  There  is  a  universality  in  the  character 


LIKE  UNTO  HIS  BRETHREN         113 

of  Christ  which  you  find  in  the  character  of  no 
other  man.  Translate  the  words  of  Christ  into 
what  country's  language  you  will,  he  might  have 
been  the  offspring  of  that  country.  Date  them 
by  what  century  of  the  world  you  will,  they  be- 
long to  that  century  as  much  as  to  any  other. 
There  is  nothing  of  nationality  about  Christ; 
there  is  nothing  of  that  personal  peculiarity  which 
we  call  idiosyncrasy ;  there  is  nothing  peculiar  to 
any  particular  age  of  the  world.  He  was  not  the 
Asiatic.  He  was  not  the  European.  He  was  not 
the  Jew.  He  was  not  the  mechanic.  He  was  not 
the  aristocrat.  He  was  the  Son  of  man.  He  is 
the  child  of  every  age  and  every  nation.  His  was 
a  life  world-wide.  His  was  a  heart  pulsating  with 
the  blood  of  the  human  race.  He  claimed  for  his 
ancestry  the  collective  myriads  of  mankind. 
Emphatically  he  was  the  Son  of  man." 

Such  an  one  is  our  human  yet  divine  Lord.  Let 
your  mind  and  intellect  conceive  of  the  highest 
natural  potentialities  of  the  human  race  and  you 
will  be  compelled  to  conclude  that  it  could  never 
have  produced  a  Jesus  Christ.  Such  as  he  is 
from  above.  Long  before  the  ascension  there  was 
a  condescension.  He  "became  flesh"  and  "dwelt 
among  us."  He  was  "made  like  unto  his  brethren, 
that  he  might  become  a  merciful  and  faithful  high 
priest  in  things  pertaining  to  God,  to  make  pro- 
pitiation for  the  sins  of  the  people." 


JOSEPH  P.  MAKLATT 

FIRST  CHURCH,  EVERETT,  WASHINGTON 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  May  23, 
1857,  near  Sewickley,  a  suburb  of  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania.  He  was  educated  at  Darlington 
Academy,  in  Beaver  County,  Pennsylvania. 
Afterward  he  graduated  from  Allegheny  College 
at  Meadville,  Pennsylvania,  in  1882,  and  later 
pursued  a  postgraduate  course  in  history  and 
philosophy,  receiving  the  degree  of  Ph.D.  in  1893. 
Carleton  College  bestowed  upon  him  the  hon- 
orary degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity. 

He  entered  the  Saint  Louis  Conference  in 
March,  1883,  and  retained  his  membership  therein 
for  eleven  years.  In  September,  1894,  Bishop 
Joyce  transferred  him  to  the  Puget  Sound  Con- 
ference and  stationed  him  at  First  Church,  Ta- 
coma,  Washington.  After  five  years'  pastorate 
he  was  transferred  to  Pittsburgh  Conference, 
where  he  served  five  years  and  then  returned  to 
Puget  Sound  Conference.  In  September,  1908, 
he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  Seattle  Dis- 
trict, and  after  having  served  it  the  full  legal 
term,  was  assigned  to  the  pastorate  of  the  First 
Church,  Everett,  Washington,  in  September, 
1914.  He  was  elected  as  delegate  to  the  General 
Conference  of  1912  and  is  a  member  of  the  Freed- 
men's  Aid,  and  Home  and  Foreign  Missionary 
Boards. 

114 


CHRISTIAN  CERTITUDE 

JOSEPH  P.  MARLATT 
"Hereby  we  do  know  that  we  know  him." — 1  John  2.  3. 

THE  First  Epistle  of  John  was  written  with  one 
purpose,  that  they  who  "believe  on  the  name  of 
the  Son  of  God  may  know  that  they  have  eternal 
life."  In  it  the  apostle  becomes,  by  preeminence, 
the  preacher  of  certainty  in  religious  experience; 
of  a  reasonable  confidence  in  Christian  life,  faith, 
and  knowledge.  It  is  not  infallibility  in  judg- 
ment and  opinion  he  preaches,  but  that  the  facts 
of  Christian  experience  and  consciousness  are  re- 
liable, sure,  and  satisfactory  to  the  person  passing 
through  them.  He  proclaims  the  high  privilege  of 
a  life  upon  earth  to  be  delivered  from  doubts  and 
fears  as  to  being  in  a  condition  of  acceptability 
with  God,  of  a  mind  satisfied  by  its  own  con- 
sciousness of  a  work  of  grace  preparing  it  for  the 
society  and  enjoyment  of  God  and  the  redeemed. 

It  is  to  this  theme  of  Christian  experience  we 
now  direct  our  attention.  Webster  thus  defines 
experience:  "Practical  acquaintance  with  any 
matter  by  personal  observation  or  trial  of  it,  or 
the  like."  While  it  may  thus  have  a  use  in  rela- 
tion to  external  objects,  in  religious  life,  it  is  a 
115 


116       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

word  applied  to  the  states  of  the  soul,  the  inner 
works  of  divine  grace,  and  our  consciousness  of 
these  facts.  Here  it  has  reference  to  every  feeling 
of  need,  temptation,  danger,  and  weakness  in  re- 
gard to  sin,  and  a  knowledge  of  all  our  acts  of 
will,  and  of  divine  help  by  which  these  evil  con- 
ditions are  remedied  and  a  new  life  of  faith  and 
purity  is  made  to  ensue,  grow,  and  continue.  In 
regard  to  things  outside  of  ourselves  experience 
results  from  experiment,  but  in  regard  to  internal 
facts  experience  results  from  consciousness.  Re- 
ligious experience  is  nearly  always  of  the  latter 
sort. 

There  is  such  a  thing  as  religious  experience. 
Christianity  is  experimental  as  well  as  practical ; 
its  effects  are  a  matter  of  consciousness  more  than 
they  are  of  observation ;  it  begins  its  work  within 
before  it  is  seen  by  men,  and  therefore  in  its  be- 
ginning it  is  almost  wholly  a  matter  of  experience. 
The  Bible  emphasizes  the  experimental  character 
of  Christianity.  "The  Spirit  itself  beareth  witness 
with  our  spirit,  that  we  are  the  children  of  God" 
(Rom.  8.  16).  "Our  rejoicing  is  this,  the  testi- 
mony of  our  conscience,  that  in  simplicity  and 
godly  sincerity,  not  with  fleshly  wisdom,  but  by 
the  grace  of  God,  we  have  had  our  conversation 
in  the  world"  (2  Cor.  1.  12).  "Hereby  we  know 
that  we  dwell  in  him,  .  .  .  because  he  hath  given 
us  of  his  Spirit"  ( 1  John  4. 13 ) .  "Hereby  we  know 
that  he  abideth  in  us,  by  the  Spirit  which  he  hath 
given  us"  (1  John  3.  24).  Thus,  in  addition  to 


CHRISTIAN  CERTITUDE  117 

their  reasonableness  and  the  possibility  of  their 
scientific  demonstration,  our  Christian  hopes  may 
be  fortified  by  Christian  experience. 

Millions  of  honest,  reliable,  and  intelligent  men 
and  women  assert  they  have  spiritual  experiences 
of  definite  works  of  grace  in  their  souls  which  are 
like  inner  fountains  to  their  lives  and  conduct. 
They  understand  what  an  experience  means,  they 
are  capable  of  judging  of  their  own  states  of  mind 
and  soul,  and  their  testimony  is  in  .harmony  with 
their  uniform  character  of  truthfulness.  In  ad- 
dition to  this  the  results  from  these  professed  ex- 
periences are  just  such  as  we  might  reasonably 
expect  to  see  if  they  were  real,  and  their  lives 
have  just  such  effect  upon  us  as  we  might  expect 
from  men  having  such  experiences.  If  the  ex- 
periences were  not  real,  or  were  not  Christian  and 
saving,  some  person  or  persons  passing  through 
them  could  suggest  a  reasonable  or  probable  ex- 
planation of  their  character ;  but  the  testimony  is 
universal  as  to  their  reality  and  genuineness,  as 
well  as  to  their  Christian,  moral,  and  helpful  char- 
acter. Such  testimony  so  thoroughly  agreeing 
with  the  Bible,  must  be  infallibly  true;  Chris- 
tianity must  be  experimental,  it  must  be  a  matter 
of  consciousness  as  well  as  of  belief  and  observa- 
tion. 

Spiritual  experiences  cannot  be  explained  to 
those  outside  the  circle  of  those  experiences.  They 
are  only  perfectly  intelligible  to  those  who  pass 
through  them.  Indeed,  this  is  true  of  all  experi- 


118       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

ence.  Pain  is  not  learned  by  definition,  but  by 
feeling  it.  If  there  were  a  heart  never  thrilled  by 
love  it  would  be  as  incapable  of  understanding  the 
principle  as  a  savage  raised  in  equatorial  Africa 
would  be  incapable  of  understanding  what  we 
mean  by  an  iceberg.  Experience  is  its  own  in- 
terpreter, and  life  is  the  only  medium  of  com- 
munication. In  his  lectures  on  "Christian  Ex- 
perience" Bishop  Foster  uses  these  words :  "I  was 
never  so  impressed  with  this  fact  and  its  im- 
portance as  during  the  preparation  of  these  lec- 
tures. Certain  passages  of  Scripture  have  come 
to  have  an  emphasis  of  meaning  which  I  had  not 
before  discovered  in  them.  The  natural  man  re- 
ceiveth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God:  for 
they  are  foolishness  unto  him:  neither  can  he 
know  them,  for  they  are  spiritually  discerned.' 
'It  is  given  unto  you  to  know  the  mysteries  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  but  to  them  [that  are  with- 
out] it  is  not  given.'  'Except  a  man  be  born  again 
he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God.'  The  import  of 
which  is,  spiritual  experiences  cannot  be  appre- 
hended by  unspiritualized  minds.  To  speak  of 
them  to  such  is  to  speak  in  a  practically  unknown 
tongue.  The  spiritual  man  lives  in  a  world  of 
spiritual  things  which  to  him  is  perfectly  plain, 
but  which  is  wholly  foreign  to  the  unspiritualized 
mind." 

As  in  all  other  lines  of  life,  there  are  varieties 
and  degrees  of  experience,  so  is  it  in  Christian 
experience.  There  is  almost  infinite  difference  be- 


CHRISTIAN  CERTITUDE  119 

tween  the  experiences  of  conviction  and  of  recon- 
ciliation to  God.  Equally  true  is  the  difference 
between  faith  and  love,  forgiveness  and  sanctifi- 
cation;  each  experience  has  its  own  distinct,  un- 
varying character.  There  is  also  difference  in 
degree.  We  realize  that  our  faith  is  mightier  at 
some  times  than  others;  our  zeal  varies  in  ar- 
dency; perfect  love  may  put  God  absolutely  on 
the  throne,  and  lay  everything  at  his  feet,  and 
yet  it  is  more  productive  of  joy  and  delight  at 
some  times  than  others.  Even  perfect,  or  trium- 
phant, faith  will  have  more  glory  in  it  at  some 
times  than  others,  will  have  more  extensive  and 
luminous  views  of  God,  of  his  power,  mercy,  and 
glory,  and  of  the  beauty  and  holiness  of  his  king- 
dom. There  will  be  a  consciousness  of  variation 
in  the  naturalness  of  humility,  of  an  interest  in 
the  salvation  of  men,  of  delight  in  the  word  of  God 
and  the  means  of  grace,  of  tenderness  of  feeling 
and  sympathy,  of  power  in  prayer;  yet  none  of 
the  graces  are  ever  absent  from  the  devoted  Chris- 
tian. It  is  only  a  variation  of  intensity.  It  is 
like  the  light  at  dawn  or  eventime  or  on  a  cloudy 
day ;  it  is  not  so  clear,  yet  there  is  light  with  the 
assurance  that  we  will  have  full  light  after  awhile. 
These  variations  need  bring  no  fear  or  anxiety, 
for  we  are  to  "walk  by  faith  and  not  by  sight." 
Usually  they  are  the  result  of  physical  and 
earthly  conditions,  and  will  occur  without  any 
moral  or  religious  failing  upon  our  part,  and 
without  any  lack  of  divine  blessing. 


120       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

One  experience  may  beget  another;  indeed, 
there  may  be  a  succession  of  numerous  experi- 
ences, one  growing  out  of  another.  In  this  sense 
there  are  primary  and  secondary  experiences. 
For  instance,  the  experience  of  pardon  is  primary, 
the  resulting  emotion  of  joy  is  secondary.  Both 
are  real  experiences,  but  the  joy  and  emotion 
could  not  come  without  the  experience  of  pardon. 
As  the  floodgate  must  be  opened  before  the  mill 
race  can  be  filled,  and  the  mill  race  must  be  filled 
before  the  water  wheel  can  turn,  and  the  water 
wheel  must  turn  before  the  machinery  can  be  put 
in  motion,  so  conviction  must  precede  repentance, 
repentance  must  precede  conversion,  and  conver- 
sion must  precede  a  useful  religious  life.  Each  of 
these  experiences  is  in  a  sense  secondary  to  its 
predecessor,  for  after  repentance  the  other  ex- 
periences follow  as  religious  necessities,  yet  each 
may  produce  resulting  emotions  and  effects  which 
are  in  the  best  sense  secondary.  The  primary  are 
complete  in  themselves,  the  secondary  are  not 
necessary  to  them,  yet  the  primary  are  necessary 
to  the  secondary.  So  then  conviction,  repentance, 
conversion,  and  the  Christian  life  resulting  are 
primary,  they  are  the  necessary  transforming 
facts  of  experience. 

The  great  question  now  comes  up,  What  is 
matter  of  experience  in  Christian  life?  It  must 
suffice  here  to  simply  enumerate  the  facts.  There 
are  seven  facts  of  experience  necessary  to  the  be- 
ginning of  a  Christian  life :  1.  Divine  illumination, 


CHRISTIAN  CERTITUDE  121 

or  a  knowledge  of  sin  and  holiness  which  God  im- 
presses upon  the  conscience  of  man.  2.  Convic- 
tion, or  the  personal  knowledge  of  being  a  sinner 
and  under  condemnation.  3.  Invitation,  a  desire 
for  and  a  consciousness  that  we  ought  to  take 
up  a  holy  life  and  that  God  calls  us  to  such  a  life. 
4.  Repentance,  or  a  godly  sorrow  for  sin  and  a 
forsaking  of  the  same.  5.  Faith.  6.  Regeneration. 
1.  Adoption,  or  a  consciousness  that  God  accepts 
us  to  be  his  children.  Of  course  these  are  not  all 
the  facts  of  experience,  for  many  will  follow 
these;  every  divine  blessing,  every  act  of  faith, 
love,  or  consecration  and  sacrifice,  growth  and 
sanctification,  will  be  matter  of  experience,  and 
they  all  belong  to  the  Christian  life,  which  is  a 
conscious  life — a  life  which  we  are  conscious  of 
as  being  Christian,  however  much  it  may  be  modi- 
fied by  our  varying  faithfulness.  These  seven 
enumerated  facts  are  preliminary  and  necessary 
to  all  that  may  succeed ;  there  is  no  Christian  life, 
no  growth,  no  sanctification,  without  them.  The 
succeeding  blessings  may  be  more  or  less  numer- 
ous, and  more  or  less  satisfactory,  but  they  can- 
not exist  or  come  unless  these  precede.  These 
make  the  approach,  and  the  golden  gate  that  ad- 
mit us  to  the  temple;  these  are  the  beginning  of 
life. 

Is  experience  reliable  as  a  basis  of  Christian 
hope?  In  other  words,  are  the  experiences  of  the 
human  soul  facts,  and  is  our  consciousness  a  suffi- 
cient witness?  Is  this  the  highest  type  of  knowl- 


122       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

edge?  Dare  we  rest  content  with  it?  Is  it  cer- 
tain, unfailing,  sure? 

First.  All  consider  experience  the  most  reliable 
knowledge.  Even  in  the  sense  of  experiment,  ex- 
perience has  been  the  best  source  of  science  and 
civilization ;  but  in  the  sense  of  consciousness  men 
have  seldom  been  inclined  to  call  their  experiences 
into  question.  They  are  the  bases  of  human  ac- 
tion. On  the  one  hand,  love  builds  homes,  creates 
friendships, founds  nations, makes  philanthropists, 
inspires  heroes,  and  brightens  the  roughest  human 
characters  as  the  rainbow  does  the  storm-cloud. 
On  the  other  hand,  hate  begets  misery,  war, 
cruelty,  murder,  and  withers  the  life  of  the  hater. 
Both  are  real,  both  are  mighty,  both  are  experi- 
ences in  the  souls  of  those  under  their  influence. 
No  person  denies  their  reality.  While  other  ex- 
periences may  not  be  so  decisive  and  clear  to  all,  I 
apprehend  there  would  be  no  dispute  as  to  their 
being  facts;  the  only  question  liable  to  be  raised 
would  be  as  to  their  interpretation.  If  we  deny 
consciousness,  then  we  deny  all  reality;  and  few 
would  dare  go  so  far  in  their  assertions,  and  none 
in  their  practical  conduct. 

Second.  What  we  acquire  by  consciousness  and 
experience  we  know  we  are  certain  about.  In  the 
language  of  our  text,  "We  know  that  we  know 
it."  It  is  knowledge  about  which  we  do  not  raise 
questions.  The  element  of  probability  is  sup- 
planted by  absolute  certainty.  The  facts  of  ex- 
perience are  the  only  absolute  certainties  in  our 


CHRISTIAN  CERTITUDE  123 

lives.  If  a  man  may  not  trust  these,  then  he  dare 
not  believe  he  is  alive;  everything  is  an  illusion. 
Who  dare  take  the  responsibility  of  such  a  con- 
clusion against  the  universal  judgment  of  man- 
kind? 

Yet  we  may  very  properly  disagree  as  to  the 
conclusions  or  deductions  drawn  from  our  ex- 
periences. They  are  real,  yet  we  may  be  mistaken 
as  to  their  character  or  meaning.  Knowledge  is 
necessary  to  interpret  their  meaning.  For  in- 
stance, if  we  want  to  determine  when  our  experi- 
ences are  Christian,  we  must  understand  what 
end  it  works  before  we  can  come  to  a  proper  con- 
clusion— we  must  understand  what  is  matter  of 
Christian  experience.  We  are  still  men,  and  are 
sure  to  have  experiences  common  or  possible  to 
men  who  are  not  Christians.  It  often  happens 
that  some  consider  dreams,  trances,  faints, 
ecstasies,  and  emotions  to  be  Christian,  whereas 
they  are  quite  common  to  men  of  all  nations, 
times,  and  characters,  and  have  been  excited  by 
every  sort  of  cause,  delusions  as  well  as  realities. 
They  may  be  a  secondary  experience  connected 
with  a  real  Christian  experience,  but  they  are  not 
necessarily  Christian,  and  may  be  dangerous  and 
lead  us  astray. 

Third.  In  the  third  place,  a  fact  is  the  same 
in  the  experience  of  all  men  passing  through  it, 
and  it  is  the  same  with  every  repetition  to  an  in- 
dividual. That  is,  they  all  know  it  to  be  the  same 
fact,  to  possess  the  same  characteristics.  Repeti- 


124       PACIFIC  NOKTHWEST  PULPIT 

tion  may  increase  our  faith  but  it  does  not  change 
the  fact.  Anything  that  appears  different  at  dif- 
ferent times  and  to  different  individuals  cannot 
be  an  object  of  complete  experience.  It  is  only 
partially  known,  it  lies  partly  beyond  the  range  of 
consciousness,  it  belongs  to  the  world  of  mystery, 
which  touches  us  so  often  in  a  faint  man- 
ner at  many  points  and  from  which  we  re- 
ceive so  many  dim  glints  of  light,  yet  without 
satisfaction.  A  real  fact  must  be  essentially  the 
same  with  every  repetition,  and  must  be  essen- 
tially the  same  to  all  men  having  the  experience. 
What  there  may  be  outside  the  world  of  our  con- 
sciousness we  do  not  know;  we  wonder  at  the 
faint  light  we  get,  but  we  must  depend  upon  and 
live  by  what  we  do  know  and  what  we  can  know. 

Now,  in  order  to  determine  when  an  experience 
is  Christian  we  have  certain  tests  which  we  can 
apply.  Such  tests  do  not  prove  that  the  experi- 
ence is  not  true;  they  only  settle  the  question 
whether  it  is  a  Christian  experience,  whether  it  is 
a  result  of  the  operation  of  some  law  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  whether  it  accomplishes  the  aim  of 
Christianity. 

1.  The  experience  must  produce  a  moral  effect. 
All  Christianity  has  an  ethical  aim,  and  complete 
holiness  is  its  goal.  This  tendency  is  so  natural 
that  the  Bible  calls  it  the  "fruit  of  the  Spirit" 
(Gal.  5.  22,  23).  It  informs  us  emphatically  that 
the  opposite,  unrighteousness,  shall  not  inherit 
the  kingdom  of  God  (1  Cor.  6.  9,  10).  This  is 


CHRISTIAN  CERTITUDE  125 

generally  observed,  in  that  those  who  profess  a 
Christian  experience  are  morally  affected  in  their 
motives  and  conduct. 

2.  The  experience  must  be  biblical.     That  is, 
it  must  be  in  harmony  with  the  teachings  of  the 
Scriptures,  and  the  result  of  some  act  therein  de- 
scribed or  commanded  as  a  Christian  act,  and 
produce  a  result  of  like  character.    Not  all  that  is 
called  Christian  is  so,  and  this  is  as  true  in  con- 
sciousness as  it  is  in  conduct. 

3.  It  must  have  power  to  abide,  to  become  a 
permanent  force  in  character.    I  do  not  mean  that 
we  must  always  feel  the  same  way,  but  the  con- 
sciousness of  a  certain  fact  abiding  in  our  char- 
acter, molding,  directing,  and  inspiring  it  must 
be  present  with  us.    When  a  sense  of  forgiveness 
is  gone  it  is  time  to  do  over  the  works  of  repent- 
ance.   While  it  is  true  we  can  lose  the  experience, 
yet  it  is  also  true  that  it  is  not  a  Christian  ex- 
perience unless  it  can  abide  as  long  as  we  meet 
the  conditions  that  brought  it.     This  brings  us 
back  again  to  the  idea  of  a  primary,  or  essential, 
experience,  and  a  secondary  or  nonessential  ex- 
perience.   Of  the  last  sort  are  all  emotions,  ner- 
vousness,  trances,    visions,   fainting,   jerks,   and 
other  phenomena,  that  are  always  ephemeral,  and 
produce  no  permanent  effect  in  character  unless 
it  be  fanaticism.    These  depend  much  on  external 
and  physical  conditions,  which  are  not  essentials 
in  spiritual  experiences. 

4.  Such  an  experience  produces  a  Christliness 


126       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

of  character.  This  effect  will  become  constantly 
more  prominent;  "He  is  the  way,  the  truth,  the 
life"  in  the  whole  matter.  "This  is  life  eternal, 
that  they  might  know  thee,  the  only  true  God,  and 
Jesus  Christ  whom  thou  hast  sent."  In  other 
words,  to  feel  his  saving  power  and  be  trans- 
formed into  his  likeness,  "being  changed  into  the 
same  image,  from  glory  to  glory,  even  as  by  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord." 

5.  All  such  experiences  are  a  result  of  the 
will,  acting  with  the  divine  agencies.  This  is  a 
never-failing  test.  There  is  no  Christian  trans- 
formation of  character,  no  divine  blessing  of  any 
sort,  given  to  man  unless  it  is  preceded  by  some 
act  of  volition  on  the  part  of  the  recipient.  Others 
may  be  accidental,  but  Christian  experiences  never 
are.  Conviction,  repentance,  faith,  forgiveness, 
regeneration,  consecration,  growth,  sanctification, 
all  are  preceded  by  a  definite  act  of  will ;  they  are 
deliberately  and  intentionally  sought.  The  will 
does  not  create  them;  it  only  assists  the  divine 
agencies;  it  opens  the  door  for  the  experience  to 
enter.  God  always  respects  man's  freedom  of 
choice ;  to  violate  the  will  means  to  destroy  man's 
character  as  a  moral  agent,  and  Christian  experi- 
ence and  character  would  no  longer  be  a  possi- 
bility. So  these  experiences  are  free  and  volun- 
tary ;  we  may  admit  or  exclude  them  at  will. 

Now  let  us  summarize.  Christianity  is  a  mat- 
ter of  experience  as  well  as  practice;  millions 
attest  the  fact;  they  find  joy  and  comfort  in  it 


CHRISTIAN  CERTITUDE  127 

and  are  transformed  by  it.  While  we  need  to  be 
guarded  against  supposing  an  ordinary  physical 
or  emotional  excitement  to  be  a  Christian  experi- 
ence, yet  we  can  rely  upon  the  facts  of  spiritual 
consciousness ;  we  know  that  they  are  true,  abso- 
lutely so.  We  have  sufficient  light  to  interpret 
the  facts  of  Christian  consciousness  and  not  con- 
found them  with  anything  merely  sensational  or 
physical.  They  become  thus  not  only  an  evidence 
of  Christianity,  but  a  high  privilege  of  every 
Christian,  an  element  which  gives  to  life  certainty 
and  joy,  the  glory  of  which  can  make  luminous 
the  darkest  days  and  sweeten  the  bitterest  sor- 
rows of  life.  This  is  the  distinctive  privilege  of 
Christian  life — "We  know  that  we  know."  Yes, 
thank  God,  we  "know  in  whom  we  have  believed." 
We  are  "persuaded,  that  neither  death,  nor  life, 
nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  nor 
things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor  height, 
nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be  able 
to  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in 
Christ  Jesus  the  Lord."  "For  we  know  that  if 
our  earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle  were  dis- 
solved, we  have  a  building  of  God,  an  house  not 
made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens." 


EDWARD  H.  TODD 

PRESIDENT,  COLLEGE  OF  PUGET  SOUND,  TACOMA, 
WASHINGTON 

Edward  H.  Todd  is  the  product  of  a  Methodist 
parsonage  and  a  native  of  Iowa.  His  father  was 
a  member  of  the  Des  Moines  Conference  for 
twenty-two  years  and  died  when  Edward  was 
sixteen  years  of  age.  Graduated  from  Simpson 
College,  receiving  therefrom  the  degrees  of  B.S., 
M.S.,  and  D.D.,  and  the  degree  of  S.T.B.  from 
Boston  University  School  of  Theology. 

After  graduation  from  Boston,  he  served  pas- 
torates at  Oaksdale  and  Colfax,  Washington.  He 
was  then  transferred  to  the  Puget  Sound  Confer- 
ence and  stationed  at  Montesano  and  at  the  same 
time  was  the  financial  agent  of  Goucher  Academy. 
After  four  years  of  pastorate  at  Vancouver, 
Washington,  and  two  years  at  the  Epworth 
Church,  Tacoma,  Washington,  he  was  made  the 
corresponding  secretary  of  the  University  of 
Puget  Sound,  in  which  capacity  he  labored  four 
years,  rendering  a  distinct  service,  the  influence 
of  which  is  still  felt.  He  was  then  called  to  the 
vice-presidency  of  Willamette  University,  and  his 
labor  there  since  June,  1910,  again  proved  his 
peculiar  fitness  in  educational  work. 

He  rendered  invaluable  assistance  in  the  rais- 
ing of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  En- 
dowment Fund.  After  this  was  accomplished  in 
September,  1913,  he  received  and  accepted  the 
unanimous  call  to  the  presidency  he  now  fills 
with  conspicuous  ability. 
128 


PERFECTED  CULTURE1 

PRESIDENT  EDWARD  H.  TODD 
"Sir,  we  would  see  Jesus." — John  12.  21. 

THE  words  of  our  text  were  spoken  by  devout 
men  who  had  come  to  Jerusalem  to  worship. 
They  were  intelligent  men  and  from  a  race  which 
was  then  renowned  for  its  intellectual  ambitions 
and  accomplishments.  Paul  stood  on  Mars'  Hill 
later  and  gave  an  account  of  the  Christ  and  his 
doctrines  to  that  people  which  convinced  them 
and  did  much  to  spread  his  gospel.  These  men 
were  convinced  that  worship  was  necessary,  and 
that  Jerusalem  was  the  proper  place  to  worship. 
With  all  this  they  were  still  alert  to  increase  their 
own  religious  knowledge  and  worthiness.  Upon 
hearing  of  the  marvelous  words  and  works  of 
Jesus  they  were  filled  with  a  desire  to  see  him 
for  themselves.  They  would  seek  the  source  of 
still  further  excellence  and  culture. 

It  is  proper  that  this  company  of  students  and 
teachers  should  turn  aside  from  their  ordinary 
duties  and  seek  to  see  the  person  whom  these  cul- 
tured men  ought  to  see.  We  are  in  the  midst  of  a 

iUsed  on  Day  of  Prayer  for  Colleges,  February  11,  1915,  at  College  of 
Puget  Sound,  Tacoma,  Washington. 

129 


130       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

great  company  of  students  to-day  who  are  observ- 
ing this  Day  of  Prayer.  Besides  this,  ours  is  a 
Christian  foundation  by  Christian  men.  It  would 
be  proper  had  we  not  any  further  reason  than  to 
respect  our  founders'  ideals.  But  these  are  not 
the  real  reason  we  give  for  this  cause  in  our 
studies.  This  day  is  observed,  and  our  founders 
have  established  this  school,  because  there  is  a 
deep  and  abiding  religious  demand  that  must  be 
met  in  the  soul  of  every  man.  There  is  a  hunger 
and  thirst  in  every  soul  which  must  be  satisfied 
if  that  soul  is  to  reach  its  highest  development. 
The  religious  nature  must  be  cultured  as  well  as 
the  intellectual.  Perfected  culture  of  the  soul 
requires  that  the  affections  be  directed  upward 
and  outward  by  religious  instruction  and  train- 
ing. Symmetry  and  beauty  of  character  are  to 
be  gained  by  a  development  of  all  the  powers  of 
the  soul  to  function  easily  and  supplementarily. 
Every  man  is  by  nature  religious  and  ought  to 
seek  in  developing  this  part  of  his  soul's  power. 
We  are  not  saying  that  a  man  is  naturally  saved 
from  his  sins,  nor  that,  he  is  naturally  Christian. 
Both  of  these  are  attainments  through  the  power 
of  the  soul  to  function  religiously  laying  hold  of 
the  Saviour  through  faith.  Instinctively  men 
pray,  and  they  ought  to  strive  to  cultivate  that  in- 
stinct. In  my  youth  I  was  tempted  to  think  that 
it  was  an  admission  of  weakness  to  confess  that 
I  was  a  Christian.  I  trust  that  the  youth  of  to- 
day are  above  that  temptation.  There  is  another 


PERFECTED  CULTURE  131 

temptation  which  comes  later  and  which  is  just 
as  subtle.  Men  to-day  seem  to  take  religion  as  a 
thing  apart  from  everyday  life.  It  is  something 
professional,  and  preachers  are  professional  men 
in  the  sense  that  they  have  a  profession  to  prac- 
tice even  as  a  lawyer  or  a  doctor.  This  is  not  so. 
Religion  is  a  universal  attribute  of  man.  With- 
out religious  culture  one  fails  to  attain  to  perfect 
culture.  The  last  words  are  strong  and  perhaps 
may  be  taken  as  those  of  a  special  pleader.  Hear 
what  one  who  is  not  connected  with  Christian 
education  has  to  say  about  this  matter:  "No  per- 
son is  educated  whose  religious  nature  is  not  de- 
veloped. The  religious  impulses  require  instruc- 
tion and  training."  "No  human  life  is  effective 
up  to  the  limits  of  its  possibilities  that  is  not  in- 
spired and  directed  by  religious  motives."  These 
are  the  words  of  Professor  C.  E.  Rugh,  of  the 
University  of  California,  one  who  is  regarded 
highly  by  educators  of  the  Pacific  Coast.  It  was 
for  this  attainment  and  by  this  impulse  these 
Greeks  were  moved  to  say,  "We  would  see  Jesus." 
Religious  development  is  not  the  knowledge  of 
certain  religious  formulas,  or  the  knowledge  of 
certain  religious  facts  or  the  practice  of  certain 
religious  acts  as  such.  These  may  be  and  prob- 
ably are  quite  essential  in  training  and  express- 
ing religious  instincts,  but  the  soul  must  take 
color  and  character;  it  must  acquire  a  certain 
fiber  to  really  be  religiously  cultivated.  Re- 
ligious training  must  therefore  reach  and  culti- 


132       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

vate  the  affections,  giving  them  strength  and  direc- 
tion. Religion  must  appeal  to  these  affections  be- 
cause they  are  the  soil  from  which  the  nature 
receives  its  richest  nourishment.  There  are  some 
who  think  of  any  appeal  to  the  affections  as  an 
appeal  to  the  exercise  of  the  most  evanescent  of 
all  men's  powers.  "Now  abideth  .  .  .  love"  is  not 
a  figure  of  speech.  When  men  want  to  inspire 
their  fellows  to  deeds  of  physical  valor  it  is  usu- 
ally by  an  appeal  to  the  love  of  truth,  or  home, 
or  country.  A  proud,  yet  strong  youth,  does  not 
make  his  plea  before  a  court  of  one  declaring  his 
strength  of  body  and  of  intellect  but  his  affec- 
tions to  win  a  favorable  decision.  The  other 
qualities  are  but  accessories  in  the  case  in  point. 
All  the  higher  attainments  depend  upon  this 
power.  When  love  controls  worldly  rulers,  be 
they  princes  or  peoples,  wars  will  cease  and  not 
before. 

It  was  my  privilege  to  ride  on  the  "boot"  with 
the  driver  of  an  old-fashioned  stage  over  a  moun- 
tain road  in  early  spring,  if  riding  thus  could  be 
called  a  privilege.  The  privilege  was  in  meeting 
the  man.  He  entertained  me  with  stories  of  his 
exploits  in  which  he  had  quelled  riots  in  saloons 
and  at  other  times  had  started  them.  At  last  he 
told  me  of  an  encounter  with  his  sixteen-year-old 
daughter  who  had  defied  the  authority  of  her 
mother.  With  tears  streaming  down  his  face  he 
told  me  of  his  love  and  pleadings  with  her  and 
his  conquest  of  his  child.  All  at  once  he  turned 


PERFECTED  CULTURE  133 

and  said,  "Excuse  me,  sir,  for  my  weakness."  But 
in  that  story  of  love  he  revealed  his  power  over 
men.  He  had  a  big  heart  of  love  and  sympathy 
through  which  he  swayed  men. 

One  definition  of  God  given  by  John  is,  "God 
is  love."  Is  it  not  noteworthy  that  he  did  not 
say,  "He  is  intellect,''  or  "He  is  will,"  or  "He  is 
beautiful"?  These  are  all  left  to  be  inferred.  The 
conquering  Christ,  who  was  God  incarnate,  has 
given  the  world  the  rule  of  love  by  which  to  live 
and  conquer.  Certainly,  the  one  who  made  the 
world  and  expects  to  hold  himself  accountable  for 
its  outcome,  will  reveal  his  greatest  power  to  be 
used  by  his  emissaries  in  accomplishing  his  pur- 
pose. Instruction  and  training  lead  one  outside 
of  himself  to  find  the  material  for  that  instruc- 
tion. The  great  truths  of  science  lead  one  to  con- 
template the  works  of  his  hands.  The  attainment 
of  knowledge  of  them  makes  for  culture.  The 
effort  to  discover  new  truths  makes  for  skill  in 
functionings  of  the  soul.  Then  let  us  follow  the 
guidance  of  scientific  method  and  search  outside 
of  self,  for  that  which  will  furnish  instruction  and 
training  for  this  religious  nature. 

An  object  as  great  as  the  physical  truths — yes, 
greater — is  necessary  for  religious  development. 
Listen  to  Christ.  He  says,  "Love."  This  has  been 
what  I  have  been  trying  to  say,  "Love  the  Lord 
thy  God  with  all  thy  being."  God  must  be  the 
object  of  man's  affection  if  he  attains  to  anything 
like  culture  of  the  religious  nature.  Science  takes 


134       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

nothing  less  than  his  works  for  the  food  or  the 
intellect,  and  we  must  certainly  take  nothing  less 
than  him  for  the  food  of  our  affections  and  re- 
ligious nature.  He  has  loved  us  and  invited  us  to 
love  in  return. 

Love  so  amazing,  so  divine, 
Demands  my  soul,  my  life,  my  all. 

Perfect  culture  does  not  only  secure  proper 
subjective  states  but  also  true  subjective  rela- 
tions. The  Christian  religion  does  not  stop  with 
getting  a  man  right,  for  that  would  be  out  of 
harmony  with  the  fundamental  conditions  sur- 
rounding him.  Eeligious  development  as  secured 
by  a  sight  of  Jesus  must  bring  perfection  of  social 
conditions — an  avenue  for  God  to  reveal  himself 
to  the  world.  The  soul  in  its  power  to  perform 
its  functional  possibilities  must  have  something 
worthy  of  its  effort.  Just  to  function  property  is 
not  enough.  There  must  be  an  objective  life  as 
well  as  an  objective  source  for  the  training  and 
the  culture  of  that  life.  Man  to  receive  must  give 
forth.  John  again  defines  God  in  these  words: 
"God  is  light."  I  do  not  think  that  the  apostle 
could  take  an  examination  in  light  in  these  days. 
But  he  knew  enough  about  the  nature  of  light  to 
know  that  it  was  a  proper  symbol  of  God's  na- 
ture. It  expressed  the  attitude  of  God  toward 
his  universe  and  the  intelligences  which  he  had 
produced.  He  is  sending  out  from  himself  and 
constantly  love,  thought,  power,  strength.  He 


PERFECTED  CULTURE  135 

does  not  ask  what  the  profit  or  immediate  return 
will  be.  His  gift  may  be  absorbed  and  hidden 
away  until  remote  ages  have  come,  but  he  does  not 
cease.  His  effort  is  but  to  send  another  ray  of 
light  following  the  one  which  has  been  seized  and 
entombed.  His  gift  may  be  transformed  into  an- 
other life.,  but  he  ceases  not  from  giving.  Perfect 
culture  will  likewise  send  forth  all  that  it  pos- 
sesses toward  its  fellow  intelligences.  All  the 
functioning  powers  are  to  be  used  to  send  forth 
a  stream  of  helpfulness  all  the  time,  to  every  one, 
who  comes  within  their  radius.  And  that  radius 
is  not  bounded  by  any  narrow  limits  of  space  or 
time.  It  is  measured  only  by  the  strength  of 
one's  personality.  This  same  Jesus  whom  these 
Greeks  sought  to  see  has  given  instruction  at  this 
point.  He  gave,  "Love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself" 
as  the  second  great  commandment.  It  may  be 
said  it  is  the  second  great  foundation  stone  in  the 
character  of  God,  and  the  second  foundation  stone 
for  the  human  race.  When  love  dominates  the 
functioning  of  the  soul  it  provides  the  fluxing 
medium  which  will  make  it  possible  for  one  to 
obey  this  great  command  for  the  proper  ethical 
relations  among  men.  Is  there  darkness  in  the 
nation  or  the  individual?  It  is  the  Christian's 
duty  and  should  be  his  pleasure  to  send  forth  that 
which  will  dispel  the  darkness,  destroy  the 
shadow,  replacing  them  with  light,  peace,  joy,  and 
beauty.  Not  to  minister  to  the  mind  alone,  but 
to  the  heart  as  well,  alleviating  every  condition 


136       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

that  brings  sorrow  and  sadness,  lifting  up  the 
fallen,  cheering  the  faint,  and  leading  those  who 
grope  in  blindness.  In  the  quietness  of  this  hour 
search  your  own  soul  and  you  will  find  there 
earnest  longings  after  God.  In  the  presence  of 
that  need  look  outward  and  upward  seeking  the 
source  of  satisfaction,  instruction,  and  develop- 
ment. There  is  such  a  source.  God  has  provided 
for  every  need,  and  he  has  not  slighted  this  the 
deepest  need  of  a  man's  soul.  He  has  revealed 
himself  in  Christ  that  men  might  find  him  easily. 
Are  you  dead?  There  is  reaction.  Are  you  weak 
and  unable  to  rise?  His  hand  is  extended. 

The  same  Jesus  which  had  filled  all  Jerusalem 
with  wonder  with  his  words  and  his  works  has 
been  doing  greater  things  in  these  latter  times. 
Come,  let  us  seek  him  together.  It  will  bring  the 
profoundest  joy  to  me  if  we  may  approach  him 
together  that  I  may  assist  you  to  become  ac- 
quainted with  him.  His  life  and  his  works  were 
based  upon  the  two  great  commandments.  In  his 
presence  and  on  those  same  great  commandments 
each  one  of  you  students  will  find  that  which  will 
supplement  the  culture  which  you  have  sought 
within  these  walls. 


III.     COLUMBIA  EIVER 


EGBERT  BRUMBLAY 

SUPERINTENDENT  WENATCHEE  DISTRICT, 
SPOKANE,  WASHINGTON 

Robert  Brumblay  was  born  at  Lawrenceburg, 
Indiana,  July  9,  1876.  He  is  a  lineal  descendant 
of  Robert  Cushman,  a  commissioner  of  the  Ply- 
mouth colony,  and  the  man  who  preached  the  first 
Thanksgiving  sermon  in  the  New  World.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  Moores  Hill  College  and 
Cincinnati  College  of  Law.  In  1899  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Indiana  Conference  and  has  been 
uninterruptedly  engaged  in  the  active  ministry 
since  that  date.  In  1907  he  was  transferred  to  the 
Columbia  River  Conference  and  stationed  at 
Waitsburg,  Washington,  where  two  pleasant  years 
were  spent,  after  which  he  was  sent  to  Pullman, 
Washington,  the  seat  of  Washington  State  Col- 
lege; and,  after  having  served  it  successfully  for 
four  years,  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of 
the  Wenatchee  District  in  1913.  Mr.  Brumblay 
has  been  a  frequent  contributor  to  the  denomina- 
tional press.  He  has  been  active  in  the  Epworth 
League  Institutes  of  the  Northwest,  having  been 
a  member  of  the  faculty  of  the  Liberty  Lake  and 
Redondo  Beach  Institutes  and  in  the  summer  of 
1914  was  appointed  dean  of  the  faculty  of  the 
J^ake  Chelan  Institute. 


THE  FAITH  WHICH  SATISFIES 

ROBERT  BRUMBLAY 

"And  Jesus  said  unto  them,  I  am  the  bread  of  life: 
he  that  cometh  to  me  shall  never  hunger;  and  he  that 
believeth  on  me  shall  never  thirst." — John  6.  35. 

MAN  is  a  being  of  many  needs.  In  reality  the 
demands  which  he  makes  upon  the  world  and  life 
about  him  are  multitudinous.  First,  there  is  his 
physical  life.  This  calls  imperatively  for  food, 
drink,  raiment,  and  shelter.  Not  only  does  he 
require  the  things  necessary  for  the  maintenance 
of  his  physical  life,  but  countless  luxuries  and 
comforts  as  well. 

But  man  is  not  merely  an  animal.  He  is  taller 
than  his  bodily  stature.  Man  is  a  thinker.  He 
has  been  endowed  with  mind,  and  so  there  is  the 
intellectual  appetite  demanding  food  for  its  satis- 
faction. The  Divine  Economist  has  provided  the 
storehouse  of  truth,  and  these  man  may  unlock 
and  obtain  from  them  that  for  which  his  mind 
hungers. 

Closely  allied  with  his  thought-life,  yet  higher 
and  deeper,  is  something  in  man  which  we  have 
called  the  soul-life.  Made  in  the  image  of  God, 
man  is  a  living  soul.  While  this  soul-life  is  al- 
most too  deep  for  words  to  describe,  yet  it  too  has 
139 


140       PACIFIC  NOKTHWEST  PULPIT 

its  needs.  These  needs  are  as  real  and  as  impera- 
tive as  those  of  the  body.  Undeniably,  the  human 
soul  has  its  hunger,  its  thirst,  its  longings,  and 
its  aspirations.  These  demand  satisfaction.  Any 
system  of  religious  faith  which  is  adequate  must 
be  able  to  respond  to  the  fundamental  needs  of 
the  universal  life.  It  must  have  adaptation  to  the 
needs  of  the  individual,  and,  to  the  needs  of  hu- 
man society;  in  short,  before  any  of  its  claims 
to  supremacy  can  be  recognized  it  must  show  that 
it  possesses  the  power  to  satisfy  the  heart-hunger 
and  quench  the  soul-thirst  of  the  race. 

There  have  been,  and  to-day  there  are  many 
religions.  The  founder  of  each  one  of  these  has 
maintained  that  his  religion  is  superior  to  all 
others,  and  that  finally  it  will  triumph  and  be  ac- 
corded the  recognition  which  it  merits  deserve. 
When  we  sweep  our  gaze  over  the  field  of  com- 
parative religion,  and  then  for  a  moment  let  it 
rest  on  each  of  the  warring  faiths ;  when  we  con- 
sider the  fact  that  of  the  total  population  of  the 
globe,  estimated  at  about  one  billion  five  hundred 
million,  more  than  one  half,  or  one  billion  and 
forty  million,  are  marshaled  under  the  stand- 
ards of  non-Christian  religion,  and  only  four 
hundred  and  sixty  million  march  under  the  cross ; 
when  we  reflect  that  if  it  were  to  be  decided  to- 
day by  the  choice  of  the  world,  who  is  entitled  to 
primacy  as  a  teacher  of  religion  and  what  system 
of  religious  faith  is  the  really  inspired  and  su- 
preme revelation,  that  three  hundred  and  forty 


THE  FAITH  WHICH  SATISFIES      141 

million  would  say  Buddha,  that  one  hundred  and 
fifty  million  would  clamor  for  Brahma,  that  one 
hundred  and  sixty  million  would  declare  for  Mo- 
hammed and  the  Koran,  while  over  two  hundred 
million  swear  their  superstitious  allegiance  to 
some  form  or  other  of  fetishism  or  paganism — I 
repeat  that  when  the  human  mind  reflects  upon 
these  facts,  it  is  not  so  inexplicable,  after  all, 
that  in  some  quarters  the  finality  of  the  Christian 
religion  is  questioned. 

Is  Christianity  merely  one  among  a  group  of 
religions,  each  claiming  superiority  for  itself,  or 
is  it  really,  as  its  followers  affirm,  the  only  true 
and  final  religion?  Is  Christ  actually  "the 
Light  of  the  world,"  the  Supreme  Teacher  and 
Divine  Saviour,  or  is  he  simply  one  of  a  company 
of  illustrious  founders  of  religions,  among  whom 
are  Zoroaster,  Confucius,  Buddha,  and  Moham- 
med? Will  Christianity  have  its  day,  gain  its 
triumphs,  mold  its  civilization,  then  become  de- 
cadent, and  finally  be  eclipsed  by  a  rival  faith, 
even  as  it  has  itself  overshadowed  many  others? 

These  are  the  questions,  among  many  like  them, 
which  are  frequently  being  propounded.  Often 
they  are  asked  by  a  weak  and  trembling  faith ; 
sometimes  by  an  honest  mind  on  the  road  to 
truth;  but  more  often  have  they  been  hurled  by 
the  enemies  of  the  cross  as  a  challenge  into  the 
faces  of  the  adherents  of  Christianity. 

To  discuss  a  subject  involving  questions  of  this 
nature  with  any  degree  of  clearness  means  that 


142       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

some  propositions  must  be  denned.  At  the  outset 
let  it  be  understood  that  not  all  of  the  non- 
Christian  religions  are  wholly  bad.  On  the  con- 
trary, there  is  in  most  of  them  much  that  is  noble, 
good,  and  elevating.  It  is  far  better  for  a  China- 
man to  be  a  Confucianist  than  nothing.  The 
morals  of  a  devout  Brahman  are  infinitely  su- 
perior to  those  of  a  Hindu  who  becomes  a  slave 
to  his  baser  passions.  Unquestionably,  Moham- 
medanism has  exercised  a  restraint  over  the  fierce 
tribes  of  the  desert,  imperfect  though  that  re- 
straint has  been. 

The  outstanding  weakness,  which  the  strongest 
of  the  heathen  religions  betray,  is  that  they  are 
only  partly  adapted  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  in- 
dividual soul  and  the  needs  of  organized  life. 
They  touch  some  sides  of  life,  but  they  do  not 
touch  all.  They  are  local,  provincial,  or  national, 
not  universal.  The  cause  of  this  is  that  every 
one  of  the  non-Christian  religions  is  man-made. 
Some  of  them  were  invented  by  men  of  lofty  minds 
and  noble  character,  but  being  men,  the  religions 
which  they  founded  partake  of  the  limitations  of 
men. 

Unlike  these  religions,  Christianity  was  born 
in  the  heart  of  God.  In  it  we  find  law  of  mutual 
adjustment  in  perfect  operation.  Christianity 
was  made  for  man,  and  man  for  Christianity. 
No  religion  has  been  invented  which  can  com- 
pare with  it  in  its  capacity  to  respond  to  the  deep 
and  universal  needs  of  the  human  soul.  What 


THE  FAITH  WHICH  SATISFIES      143 

one  of  the  profoundest  thinkers  in  the  American 
pulpit  has  said  is  true — "Christianity  is  the  key 
which  fits  the  lock  of  the  human  soul."  One  was 
made  for  the  other,  and  the  creator  of  both  is  the 
Infinite  God. 

What  are  some  of  those  distinctive  qualities  of 
the  Christian  revelation  which  give  it  this  incom- 
parable adaptability  to  the  primary  needs  of  the 
universal  mind  and  heart?  Casting  the  question 
into  a  different  form,  let  us  ask:  "What  is  the 
power  of  this  faith  founded  and  promulgated  by 
the  Christ  of  Nazareth  to  meet  every  demand  upon 
it  by  an  earnest,  seeking  soul  ?" 

First.  Christianity  gives  man  the  clearest  and 
best  conception  of  God.  Among  all  the  world's 
religions  none  can  compare  with  it  in  this  re- 
spect. Not  that  Christianity  stands  alone  in 
affirming  the  existence  of  the  Divine  Being.  Mo- 
hammedanism does  that.  From  their  very  child- 
hood the  devotees  of  Islam  are  taught,  "There  is 
but  one  God,  and  Mohammed  is  his  prophet."  But 
how  vastly  different  is  the  God  of  the  Koran  and 
the  God  revealed  by  the  Christ  of  Galilee!  To 
the  most  pious  Moslem  God  is  little  more  than  an 
impersonal  Being,  at  best,  no  more  than  an  awful 
Sovereign,  harsh  and  forbidding  in  his  attributes, 
and  a  Being  only  to  be  worshiped  and  feared. 

For  ages  the  human  soul  groped  in  darkness 
in  its  quest  for  God.  It  cannot  be  doubted  that 
in  no  age  has  God  left  himself  without  a  witness. 
Yet  how  long  the  human  soul  sought  him  in  the 


144       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

dim  gray  of  the  early  morning  of  revelation !  In 
every  period  of  the  world's  history  there  have 
lived  the  Enochs,  the  Samuels,  the  Ezekiels,  and 
the  Isaiahs — the  lofty  souls,  seers  and  dreamers, 
who  caught  and  held  their  vision  of  God;  but 
untold  millions,  like  Job  of  old  in  his  agony  of 
desperation,  have  cried,  "O,  that  I  knew  where 
I  might  find  him !" 

When  you  review  the  theological  thought  of 
the  world,  outside  of  the  teachings  of  some  of 
the  great  Hebrew  prophets,  prior  to  the  advent 
of  Jesus,  you  find  yourself  inside  a  theological 
museum,  which  strongly  suggests  an  anthropo- 
logical museum.  Along  the  sides  of  the  wall  are 
rows  of  mummies.  Expose  them  to  the  living  air 
for  an  instant,  and  they  would  crumble  into  dust. 
Here  and  there  in  this  strange  collection  are  stone 
implements — axes,  arrow-heads,  war-clubs,  and 
odd  charms  of  the  astrologer  and  the  medicine 
man.  As  crude  and  imperfect  as  these  have  been 
some  of  the  conceptions  of  God  born  in  the  minds 
of  men  in  the  centuries  past  and  gone.  Many 
associated  their  idea  of  God  with  the  elemental 
forces  of  nature.  God  was  in  the  storm,  the  earth- 
quake, or  in  great  calamities,  such  as  plagues,  or 
terrible  wars.  To  others  God  was  nothing  more 
than  a  Great  Architect,  who  having  planned  and 
constructed  the  world,  had  retired  from  it.  Still 
others,  no  doubt,  conceived  God  to  be  a  Great 
Mechanic,  who  with  his  hammer  and  forge  had 
wrought  the  universe,  winding  the  springs  in  its 


THE  FAITH  WHICH  SATISFIES      145 

mechanism,  and  having  wound  them,  flung  the  key 
away,  leaving  the  vast  machine  to  run  itself.  To 
many  minds  God  was  nothing  but  an  abstraction 
— an  impersonal  force,  the  God  of  pantheism. 

But  when  Christ  lived  upon  the  earth  how  all 
of  that  was  changed !  In  the  life  and  teaching  of 
Jesus  the  world  found  that  perfect  and  satisfying 
revelation  of  God  for  which  it  had  yearned  so 
long.  To  the  heart  of  man  was  disclosed  the 
beautiful  truth  that  God  was  not  only  Kuler  but 
Father.  Other  religionists  had  applied  the  term 
"father"  to  their  deities,  but  it  was  reserved  for 
Jesus  to  teach  the  world  to  say:  "Our  Father 
which  art  in  heaven."  Not  only  did  he  teach  the 
world  to  say  it,  but  also  to  feel  it. 

To  Philip  the  Master  uttered  a  profound  truth, 
"He  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father." 
As  Dr.  George  Jackson  has  written:  "There  is 
nothing  that  he  said  or  did  that  does  not  declare 
Him  whom  no  man  hath  seen  at  any  time.  To 
read  that  'old  sweet  story'  is  to  put  our  hand  on 
the  heart  of  God;  it  is  to  know  the  Father." 
Many  souls  have  been  entranced  by  the  life  of 
tenderness,  purity,  love,  and  power  lived  by  the 
strong,  immortal  Son  of  God.  From  that  life 
they  have  grasped  the  truth  that  what  Jesus  was 
for  thirty  and  three  years  God  was  through  all 
the  ages.  Jesus  not  only  made  God  understand- 
able by  bringing  him  within  the  range  of  the  hu- 
man mind,  but  he  also  brought  the  Infinite  within 
the  realm  of  the  human  affections. 


146       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

Second.  Of  all  the  religions  of  the  world,  Chris- 
tianity gives  to  man  the  most  inspiring  valuation 
of  self -hood.  No  religious  teacher  has  ever  given 
us  such  a  fine  appraisal  of  the  worth  of  a  man 
as  has  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  He  shot  human  life 
through  and  through  with  dignity  and  sacred- 
ness.  The  enthusiasm  of  Jesus  for  humanity  was 
tremendous.  Its  influence  upon  the  progress  of 
mankind  cannot  be  overestimated. 

Any  religion  that  expects  to  grip  the  mind  and 
heart  of  the  race  must  furnish  room  enough  for 
both  man  and  God.  By  this  we  do  not  mean  that 
man  is  to  be  considered  the  equal  of  God.  But 
for  his  highest  effort  and  noblest  achievements 
man  must  feel  the  impact  of  the  inspiring  incen- 
tive that  he  is  a  fellow  laborer  with  God — a  co- 
worker  with  the  Divine.  All  of  the  heathen 
religions  paralyze  the  energies  and  ambitions  of 
men  because  they  lack  this  stimulating  quality 
of  Christianity.  Mohammedanism  throws  the 
blight  of  fatalism  on  human  life.  By  it  man  is 
taught  that  he  is  being  hurried  on  irresistibly  by 
fate.  He  is  merely  a  creature  handled  by  blind 
forces.  Struggle  though  he  may,  he  cannot  alter 
his  destiny.  In  the  light  of  the  teaching  of  the 
other  great  non-Christian  systems,  the  individual, 
relatively,  counts  for  little.  He  is  the  sport  of 
tyrants.  He  is  little  more  than  a  worm  to  be 
crushed  under  the  iron  heel  of  despotism.  Chris- 
tianity, on  the  contrary,  puts  the  emphasis  on  the 
worth  of  the  individual.  It  is  not  too  much  to 


THE  FAITH  WHICH  SATISFIES      147 

say  that  Christ  put  his  finger  on  manhood  and 
capitalized  it.  Heredity  and  environment  are 
agencies  that  are  not  scoffed  at  in  the  teachings 
of  Christianity,  instead  they  are  reckoned  as 
powerful;  but,  notwithstanding,  these  influences 
are  considered  subordinate  to  the  sovereignty  of 
the  inner  life.  This  teaching  of  Christ  of  the 
worth  of  the  common  man  has  done  more  to  pro- 
mote the  growth  of  pure  democracy  than  any  other 
given  to  the  world.  Jesus  waved  the  golden  rule 
over  slave  market  and  palace  alike.  He  posted 
an  angel  sentry  beside  the  crib  of  every  sleeping 
babe,  whether  born  of  a  peasant  woman  or  an  em- 
press. The  vassal  and  his  bride  took  the  same 
vows  at  the  marriage  altar  as  the  lord  and  the 
lady  of  gentle  birth,  while  over  the  graves  of 
monarchs  and  subjects  alike  were  pronounced  the 
assuring  words,  "I  am  the  resurrection  and  the 
life." 

A  short  time  ago  while  traveling  one  night  be- 
tween Seattle  and  Spokane  on  a  Great  Northern 
Railway  train,  I  was  reading  a  book  on  a  re- 
ligious subject.  By  accident  the  volume  slipped 
from  my  fingers  and  fell  into  the  center  of  the 
aisle  of  the  car.  A  young  man  of  rather  intelli- 
gent appearance,  who  was  sitting  just  opposite  to 
me,  stooped  and  picked  up  the  book.  Before  re- 
turning it  to  me  he  hastily  glanced  at  the  title 
and  the  opening  page.  As  he  handed  the  book  to 
me  he  asked  with  a  tone  of  cynicism  in  his  voice : 
"What  is  the  use,  sir,  for  you  to  waste  your  time 


148       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

reading  a  book  on  the  Christian  religion.  Isn't  it 
plain  to  you  that  Christianity  is  a  failure?  What 
a  fine  sight  the  world  has  to-day  of  the  two 
strongest  so-called  Christian  nations  of  Europe 
leading  in  a  bloody  war  against  each  other!  As 
for  me,  I  don't  want  any  better  proof,  that  Chris- 
tianity has  played  out."  After  a  few  moments  of 
silence  he  asked,  "What  do  you  think  about  it?" 
Having  thus  been  asked  for  my  opinion  I  replied 
to  him  that  it  was  very  deplorable  that  England 
and  Germany  were  locked  in  a  desperate  and 
bloody  struggle,  supposed  Christian  nations  as 
they  have  been,  but  that  instead  of  Christianity 
being  chargeable  with  the  war,  the  thing  respon- 
sible was  an  utter  absence  of  Christianity.  And 
that,  I  am  ready  now  to  submit,  is  true.  Not  the 
standards  of  Christianity  but  the  brutalizing 
standards  of  materialism  must  be  held  responsible 
for  the  European  war  of  1914. 

If  the  rulers  and  subjects  of  these  warring  na- 
tions had  marched  up  to  the  heights  where  the 
Son  of  God  planted  the  flag  of  the  sacredness  of 
human  life;  if  they  had  only  caught  a  vision  of 
the  sublime  doctrine  of  "The  Fatherhood  of  God, 
and  the  brotherhood  of  man"  as  proclaimed  by 
Him  whose  feet  once  touched  the  far-off  hills  of 
Galilee;  if  instead  of  nursing  race  hatred,  and 
fostering  a  narrow  nationalism,  under  the  guise 
of  "patriotism" ;  if,  instead  of  this,  they  had  been 
thinking  and  acting  in  the  terms  of  brotherhood 
and  international  unity,  as  did  Jesus,  this  curse 


THE  FAITH  WHICH  SATISFIES      149 

and  scourge  of  slaughter  would  never  have  fallen 
upon  them.  The  world  will  yet  yearn  as  never 
before  for  the  dawn  of  the  golden  age  of  peace, 
and  at  last  it  will  discover  that  in  the  hand  of 
Christianity  is  the  golden  key  that  will  unlock 
the  gates  of  the  better  day. 

Third.  Christianity  satisfies  the  needs  of  the 
human  heart,  as  does  no  other  religion,  because 
it  provides  a  remedy  for  sin.  The  sense  of  con- 
demnation is  universal.  Men  everywhere  have 
sought  release  from  the  burdens  of  an  accusing 
conscience.  Every  altar  that  has  been  erected, 
every  sacrifice  that  has  been  offered,  every  prayer 
of  confession  that  has  been  made,  bear  witness  to 
this  fact.  When  the  guilty  soul  sees  itself  it  cries 
for  peace.  What  can  still  this  tempest  in  the 
soul?  What  medicine  can  allay  this  fever  raging 
in  the  breast?  There  is  little  or  nothing  in  the 
non-Christian  religions  affording  relief  to  the 
soul  oppressed  with  this  consciousness  of  sin. 
The  best  Buddhism  can  do  for  it  is  extinction. 
To  be  absorbed  by  Nirvana  is  the  only  escape 
from  the  sufferings  of  this  world.  None  of  the 
great  heathen  religions  recognizes  the  fact  of  sin. 
Christianity  recognizes  it  as  a  tragic,  lurid,  uni- 
versal fact. 

At  the  great  Convention  of  Methodist  Men,  held 
in  Indianapolis  in  October,  1913,  Mr.  Fred  B. 
Smith  related  a  telling  incident.  He  told  how  he 
rode  north  of  Calcutta  with  Professor  Boesch, 
who  in  1893  was  a  representative  of  Hinduism  at 


150       PACIFIC  NOKTHWEST  PULPIT 

the  World's  Parliament  of  Religions  at  Chicago. 
They  discussed  Hinduism  for  two  days.  Mr.  Smith 
said  he  was  ashamed  to  find  that  the  Hindu  pro- 
fessor was  vastly  more  familiar  with  the  Bible 
than  he.  Said  Mr.  Smith  in  relating  the  occur- 
rence :  "He  got  me  again  and  again  by  references 
to  our  Bible,  and  he  insisted  that  I  should  read 
those  great  passages  from  the  hymns  of  the  Vedas, 
and  he  would  say,  'Have  you  anything  more  beau- 
tiful in  your  Bible?'  I  read  to  him  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount,  and  when  I  went  through  the  Beati- 
tudes he  did  confess  that  he  did  think  they  had 
nothing  in  their  literature  that  could  surpass 
them;  but  he  believed  that  somehow  they 
must  have  been  dug  up  in  ancient  Hindu- 
ism, and  I  was  at  my  wits'  end.  I  finally  said 
to  him,  'Suppose  some  man  in  Hinduism  is 
taken  in  sin  and  goes-  down  in  awful  passion  to 
the  bottom — what  has  Hinduism  for  him?'  He 
said  with  an  expression  of  surprise,  'O,  Mr.  Smith, 
Hinduism  does  not  pretend  to  cure  sin.'  I  then 
said  to  him,  'Professor,  you  have  not  any  religion 
at  all ;  Christianity  proposes  to  cure  sin.' r 

Yes,  Christianity  not  only  proposes  to  cure  sin, 
but  it  does  cure  sin.  God's  program  of  forgiveness 
and  reconciliation  through  the  atoning  ministry 
of  Jesus  Christ  comes  to  the  rescue  of  the  soul. 

There  is  no  name  so  sweet  on  earth, 

No  name  so  sweet  in  heaven, 
The  name  before  his  wondrous  birth 

To  Christ  the  Saviour  given. 


THE  FAITH  WHICH  SATISFIES      151 

The  greatest  gift  of  Christianity  to  the  world 
is  a  Kedeemer.  The  Toice  of  Jesus  can  be  heard 
across  the  stretches  of  human  life,  and  when  he 
speaks  his  voice  breathes  a  music  as  sweet  as  the 
notes  of  a  lute,  yet  clear  and  strong  as  a  silver 
trumpet:  "Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  are  weary 
and  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest." 

In  this  scheme  of  individual  regeneration,  offered 
alone  by  the  unique  and  supernatural  Christ,  is 
also  found  the  world's  hope  of  social  reconstruc- 
tion. Here,  again,  is  shown  the  adequacy  of 
Christianity,  and  its  power  to  satisfy  the  deepest 
needs  of  the  individual  and  of  society. 

Fourth.  The  human  soul  in  its  normal  state 
asks  for  an  assurance  of  personal  immortality. 
This  the  faith  of  Christianity  gives  to  men.  It 
cannot  be  said  fairly  that  the  best  of  the  heathen 
religions  deny  immortality.  They  may  deny  it, 
but  they  do  not  affirm  it.  Materialism  says, 
"Death  ends  all."  Agnosticism  declares  "that  it 
does  not  know."  Confucianism  says,  "We  are  not 
concerned  about  the  future."  The  noblest  of  the 
heathen  religions  venture,  "I  hope  for  a  destiny." 
These  are  the  verdicts  of  the  non-Christian  world. 

But  what  has  Christ  to  say.  Listen.  Like 
the  tones  of  a  great,  glorious,  golden  bell,  his  sub- 
lime declaration  sweeps  across  the  ages — "Be- 
cause I  live,  ye  shall  live  also."  The  most  mo- 
mentous question  of  the  ages  is  that  which  the 
human  soul  has  asked  itself:  "Shall  I  live  again?" 
Christ  has  answered  it.  The  good  and  noble  of  all 


152       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

centuries  have  felt  the  stirrings,  the  instincts  of 
immortality.  Christ  confirms  these  hopes  of  the 
human  heart  It  is  difficult  to  persuade  the  hu- 
man race  to  dig  its  own  grave  with  the  spade  of 
materialism.  Science  says  force  is  indestructible, 
and  the  greatest  force  in  the  universe  is  the  hu- 
man soul. 

Then  there  is  what  some  poet-soul  has  called 
"the  pathos  of  incompleteness."  How  often  the 
loom  of  earthly  life,  on  which  we  are  weaving  the 
web,  is  broken,  and  the  pattern  remains  un- 
finished !  Shall  we  not  in  a  glad  and  radiant  for- 
ever be  permitted  to  gather  up  the  broken  threads 
and  finish  the  task?  Are  all  the  loves,  and 
dreams,  and  unfinished  achievements  of  the  hu- 
man mind  and  soul  to  be  blotted  out  forever  by 
the  hand  of  death?  At  the  thought  there  rises 
in  the  soul  a  bitter  cry  of  protest.  The  human 
heart  longs,  after  life's  brief  fitful  day,  for  the 
eternal  companionships,  the  reunited,  never- 
ending  loves.  Christianity  gives  this  hope.  In 
the  voice  of  positive  authority,  Christ  banishes 
Death  from  the  dominions  of  Life.  The  keynote 
of  the  Christian  faith  is  life — life  here  and  life 
yonder.  It  tells  us  we  are  not  to  live  here  to  pre- 
pare to  die,  but  we  are  to  live  here  to  prepare  to 
live  forever. 

They  have  not  perished — no! 

Kind  words,  remembered  voices  once  so  sweet, 
Smiles,  radiant  long  ago, 

And  features,  the  great  soul's  apparent  seat; 


THE  FAITH  WHICH  SATISFIES      153 

All  shall  come  back,  each  tie 

Of  pure  affection  shall  be  knit  again; 
Alone  shall  Evil  die, 

And  Sorrow  dwell  a  prisoner  in  thy  reign. 

Standing  one  day  on  the  shores  of  that  inland 
sea,  whose  waters  go  out  to  meet  the  great  Pacific, 
I  turned  my  face  toward  the  east,  that  I  might 
catch  a  view  of  that  mighty  mountain,  Rainier. 
Clouds  of  vapor  were  drifting  across  the  range 
that  morning,  and  at  first  my  gaze  was  not  re- 
warded. But,  little  by  little  the  clouds  lifted, 
disclosing  one  by  one  the  lower  mountains.  Then 
the  higher  peaks  began  to  show  themselves.  The 
climax  came  when  the  last  fold  of  the  curtain  was 
drawn  aside,  and  there  standing  in  its  indescriba- 
ble grandeur,  the  kingliest  of  them  all  was  great 
Rainier.  And  so  it  will  be  with  the  Christian 
religion.  It  is  the  loftiest  and  noblest  of  the 
religions  of  earth.  It  is  the  supreme,  the  final 
religion. 

After  while,  when  God's  truth  has  cleared  the 
world's  atmosphere,  Christianity  will  tower  above 
all  human  systems.  It  will  endure  forever.  Let 
not  fearful  souls  think  it  will  be  supplanted.  It 
will  outlive  all  other  religions  of  the  world  be- 
cause it  most  fully  satisfies  the  deepest  needs  of 
the  soul  of  man. 


HAROLD  O.  PERRY 

SUPERINTENDENT  THE  DALLES  DISTRICT,  KENNE- 
WICK,  WASHINGTON 

Harold  O.  Perry  was  born  in  Iowa  in  1878,  but 
was  reared  in  the  State  of  Nebraska.  He  attended 
the  Nebraska  Wesleyan  University  for  three  years, 
lacking  only  few  credits  for  graduation  when  for 
health  reasons  he  was  forced  to  seek  a  new  cli- 
mate, and  went  to  Montana,  immediately  joining 
the  Montana  Conference.  In  1904  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Columbia  River  Conference,  serving 
pastorates  at  Waterville,  Washington,  1904-1907; 
Sunnyside,  Washington,  1907-1911,  when  he  was 
appointed  to  the  superintendency  of  The  Dalles 
District  by  Bishop  Smith.  The  district  under  his 
able  leadership  has  had  a  substantial  growth.  In 
1913  the  College  of  Puget  Sound  conferred  upon 
him  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity. 


154 


THE  UNSEEN  FORCES  OF  GOD 

HAROLD  O.  PERRY 

"And  Elisha  prayed,  and  said,  Jehovah,  I  pray  thee, 
open  his  eyes,  that  he  may  see.  And  Jehovah  opened 
the  eyes  of  the  young  man;  and  he  saw:  and,  behold, 
the  mountain  was  full  of  horses  and  chariots  of  fire 
round  about  Elisha." — 2  Kings  6.  17. 

THE  king  of  Syria  was  warring  against  the  king 
of  Israel.  At  different  times  the  heathen  king 
had  thought  that  his  opponent  was  trapped,  but 
always  the  king  of  Israel  discovered  the  plan, 
until  Syria's  king  was  very  much  annoyed  and 
decided  that  there  was  a  spy  in  the  camp.  To 
his  advisers  he  said,  "Will  ye  not  show  me  which 
of  us  is  for  the  king  of  Israel  ?"  Their  reply  was, 
"There  is  no  spy  in  Syria  but  there  is  a  prophet 
in  Israel,  called  Elisha,  who  telleth  the  king  of 
Israel  the  words  which  thou  speakest  in  thy  bed 
chamber."  Then  said  the  king  of  Syria,  "Find 
out  where  he  is,  that  we  may  send  and  fetch  him." 

It  was  found  that  Elisha  and  his  servant  were 
in  Dothan,  in  the  hills  of  Samaria,  and  the  king 
sent  "thither  horses,  and  chariots,  and  a  great 
host;  and  they  came  by  night  and  compassed  the 
city  about." 

155 


156       PACIFIC  NOKTHWEST  PULPIT 

When  Elisha  and  his  servant  awoke  in  the 
morning,  and  found  this  great  host  gathered 
around  the  city  for  the  express  purpose  of  taking 
them,  the  servant  was  greatly  frightened,  and  thus 
addressed  Elisha:  "Alas,  my  master!  how  shall 
we  do?"  And  then  comes  the  text — "And  Elisha 
prayed,  and  said,  Jehovah,  I  pray  thee,  open  his 
eyes,  that  he  may  see.  And  Jehovah  opened  the 
eyes  of  the  young  man ;  and  he  saw :  and,  behold, 
the  mountain  was  full  of  horses  and  chariots  of 
fire  round  about  Elisha." 

One  of  the  encouraging  signs  of  to-day  is  that 
bald  materialism  has  no  longer  a  strong  influence. 
Thinking  people  have  discovered  that  the  materi- 
alist has  a  task  so  gigantic  that  almost  in  the 
very  beginning  he  must  abandon  his  foundation 
and  begin  over.  People  in  general  recognize  that 
the  spiritual  must  be  taken  into  account,  or  our 
problem  will  be  hopeless.  It  makes  little  differ- 
ence what  question  is  to  be  considered,  spiritual 
forces  must  be  reckoned  with.  The  man  who 
undertakes  a  business  ejiterprise  may  figure  out 
that  all  the  material  resources  and  advantages 
are  such  that  he  is  bound  to  succeed:  yet  how 
often  has  there  been  complete  failure  under  these 
very  circumstances!  The  same  may  be  said  of 
any  undertaking.  The  way  a  matter  looks  as  a 
man  ordinarily  reasons  may  not  determine  how 
it  really  is  at  all.  The  man  who  goes  forth  to  act 
upon  the  world's  stage  must  remember  that  there 
is  an  unseen  world  of  spiritual  forces  with  which 


THE  UNSEEN  FORCES  OF  GOD   157 

he  must  be  allied  if  he  makes  his  life  a  success. 
This  principle  has  been  recognized  and  observed 
through  the  centuries  by  all  great  men  of  God. 
A  few  pertinent  illustrations  will  help  to  make 
clear  the  point. 

In  Midian  there  was  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Moses,  a  foreigner  whom  God  had  kept  in  this 
strange  land  for  forty  years  for  no  other  pur- 
pose than  to  teach  him  humility.  He  learned  his 
lesson  and  the  lesson  that  God  lives ;  and  one  day, 
as  he  walked  by  the  roadside,  there  appeared  a 
burning  bush,  which  burned  and  yet  was  not  con- 
sumed. He  said  to  himself,  "I  will  turn  aside 
and  see  what  this  is."  There  is  many  a  man  so 
material  in  his  conceptions  that  he  would  fail  to 
see  this  burning  bush.  In  fact,  there  are  to-day 
burning  bushes  everywhere.  The  spiritually- 
minded  have  discovered  them  and  profited  greatly 
thereby,  while  the  materialist  goes  heedlessly  on 
in  his  sensuality. 

When  God  saw  that  Moses  turned  aside  he 
spoke  to  him  thus:  "Moses,  Moses,  put  off  thy 
shoes  from  off  thy  feet,  for  the  place  whereon 
thou  standest  is  holy  ground.  I  am  the  God  of 
Abraham,  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob. 
I  have  surely  seen  the  affliction  of  my  people 
which  are  in  Egypt,  and  have  heard  their  cry  by 
reason  of  their  taskmasters.  Come  now  therefore, 
and  I  will  send  thee  unto  Pharaoh,  that  thou 
mayest  bring  forth  my  people  the  children  of 
Israel  out  of  Egypt." 


158       PACIFIC  NOKTHWEST  PULPIT 

Moses  was  spiritual  enough  to  see  the  burning 
bush  but  did  not  yet  realize  that  God's  power 
could  be  his.  His  answer  follows : 

"Who  am  I,  that  I  should  go  unto  Pharaoh, 
and  bring  forth  the  children  of  Israel  out  of 
Egypt?" 

And  God  said,  "Certainly  I  will  be  with  you." 

"But,"  said  Moses,  "When  I  shall  say  unto  them, 
The  God  of  your  fathers  hath  sent  me  unto  you ; 
and  they  shall  say  unto  me,  What  is  his  name? 
what  shall  I  say  unto  them?" 

Tell  them  "I  AM  hath  sent  you." 

"But,"  insisted  Moses,  "behold  they  will  not 
believe  me  nor  hearken  unto  my  voice." 

Then  God  demonstrated  to  him  that  he  would 
give  him  power  to  show  signs  of  the  unseen  world 
and  convince  them. 

Moses  said,  "I  am  slow  of  speech  and  of  a  slow 
tongue." 

But  this  diffident  man,  who  thought  himself 
unable  to  do  anything  worth  while,  was  finally 
persuaded  to  link  his  life  with  God's  and  he  be- 
came not  only  Moses  the  deliverer,  but  Moses  the 
general,  Moses  the  judge,  and  the  greatest  law- 
giver of  Old  Testament  history.  Had  he  only  used 
the  forces  which  are  all  prevailing  with  the  world, 
he  would  have  been  always  a  shepherd  in  the  hills 
of  Midian. 

Again  the  point  is  well  illustrated  by  the  con- 
duct of  the  three  Hebrew  children,  Shadrach,  Me- 
shach,  and  Abednego. 


THE  UNSEEN  FORCES  OF  GOD   159 

Said  Nebuchadnezzar,  the  heathen  king,  "Every 
one  must  fall  down  and  worship  the  golden 
image." 

Said  the  three  Hebrew  captives,  "As  the  world 
knows  about  things,  you  have  the  power  to  de- 
stroy us  in  the  burning  fiery  furnace,  but  if  it  be 
so,  our  God  is  able  to  deliver  us :  anyway,  we  will 
not  worship  your  golden  image." 

The  king's  wrath  was  aroused;  the  furnace 
heated  seven  times  as  hot  as  common,  or  per- 
fectly hot,  and  these  three  men  cast  in,  is  the 
ghastly  scene  which  we  face. 

But  as  the  king  looks,  he  is  astonished  and  ex- 
claims: "Did  not  we  cast  three  men  bound  into 
the  midst  of  the  fire?  Lo,  I  see  four  men  loose, 
walking  in  the  midst  of  the  fire  and  they  have  no 
hurt ;  and  the  aspect  of  the  fourth  is  like  a  son  of 
the  gods." 

And  has  it  not  been  true  in  all  ages  that  men 
and  women  have  walked  through  the  burning 
fiery  furnace  of  affliction,  without  a  hair  of  their 
heads  being  singed.  And  always  there  was  an 
Unseen  One  with  them.  We  would  not  be  com- 
pelled to  go  far  to  find  many  such  cases  to-day. 
Let  the  materialist  account  for  the  results  of  the 
Revolutionary  War.  As  the  materialists  see 
things,  everything  was  against  the  colonists. 
They  had  no  navy.  They  were  few  in  numbers. 
In  winter  quarters  at  Valley  Forge  they  left  the 
blood  stains  upon  the  snow  because  they  were  in- 
adequately shod.  They  were  without  money  or 


160       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

influence,  ragged  and  half-starved.  One  of  the 
greatest  nations  with  superb  equipment,  was 
pitted  against  them.  How  was  it  done?  Because 
the  forces  of  the  unseen  world  assisted  them ;  be- 
cause eternal  right  was  on  their  side. 

Abraham  Lincoln  saw  the  end  of  the  Civil  War; 
and  why  ?  Because  he  was  a  true  prophet  linked 
with  God's  unseen  forces,  and  this  being  true,  he 
knew  that  the  war  could  end  in  only  one  way, 
even  though  that  way  might  not  be  apparent  at 
the  time. 

The  scene  of  Jesus  feeding  the  five  thousand  is 
a  scene  for  modern  times.  After  Jesus  asked  the 
blessing  he  began  to  break  the  loaves  and  pass 
them  out,  and  lo!  they  multiplied  until  all  were 
fed.  We  should  not  forget  to  have  God's  blessing 
upon  the  undertaking,  and  then  we  need  not 
worry  even  if  our  material  resources  are  not  all 
that  we  could  have  desired,  or  that  might  seem 
necessary. 

I  have  had  members  of  official  boards  figure  out 
to  me  that  certain  things  were  not  practical  and 
actually  prove  their  contention.  And  yet  some 
of  those  very  things  were  undertaken  because  they 
seemed  to  be  a  necessity,  and  the  figures  did  not 
hold  good  at  all.  When  we  want  to  do  anything 
in  the  church  we  are  apt  to  say,  "Mr.  A.  will  do 
so  much,  and  Mr.  B.  will  do  so  much,"  and  when 
we  have  it  all  counted  up  and  we  find  that  it  lacks 
the  needed  amount,  we  declare,  "It's  no  use;  we 
cannot  get  enough.  In  God's  figuring  whatever 


THE  UNSEEN  FORCES  OF  GOD   161 

ought  to  be  done  can  be  done.  Many  an  achieve- 
ment can  never  be  explained  in  any  other  way 
than  by  the  assumption  that  the  unseen  Host  as- 
sisted. The  Bible  is  full  of  this  kind  of  thing, 
hence  the  materialist  cannot  understand  the 
Bible,  nor  appreciate  it. 

"Now  the  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things 
of  the  Spirit  of  God :  for  they  are  foolishness  unto 
him ;  and  he  cannot  know  them,  because  they  are 
spiritually  judged." 

Often  church  members  are,  practically,  materi- 
alists. They  trust  in  forms  and  ceremonies.  To 
them  the  initiative  rite  of  baptism  saves,  the 
sacrament  snatches  them  from  the  burning.  But 
no  church  member  is  a  power  in  his  church  or 
community  until  he  has  learned  that  salvation  is 
not  mechanical  and  that  the  source  of  all  power 
is  the  unseen  God. 

How  deeply  conscious  was  the  apostle  Paul  of 
this !  Reared  in  an  atmosphere  of  formalism,  his 
great  nature  could  not  be  satisfied  with  just  the 
shell.  He  first  met  the  unseen  world  as  a  real 
and  vital  force  on  the  way  to  Damascus.  He 
never  forgot  that  day.  And  from  that  day  noth- 
ing could  deter  him  from  his  duty,  even  though 
discouragement  was  everywhere. 

From  the  world's  standpoint,  there  could  be 
no  more  hopeless  task  than  winning  Asia  Minor 
and  Greece  for  Christ.  Raw  heathenism  and  base 
depravity  were  everywhere.  There  came  but  little 
response  at  first,  and  tremendous  opposition. 


162       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

Left  outside  the  gates  of  one  of  the  towns  for 
dead,  after  the  people  had  stoned  him,  deserted  by 
John  Mark,  Paul  had  reason  to  be  discouraged 
and  say  that  it  was  not  worth  while;  but  he  was 
linked  with  the  unseen  world,  and  that  made  a 
difference.  He  aimed  to  go  to  Ephesus,  the  com- 
mercial metropolis,  but  he  was  not  permitted  to 
do  so,  and  so  he  preached  in  the  smaller  towns. 
Cyprus,  Perga,  Antioch,  Lystra,  Iconium,  Thes- 
salonica,  Corinth,  and  Athens — he  visited  them  all 
and  literally  beat  back  the  tides  of  heathenism. 
Paul  alone  could  never  have  done  this ;  but  linked 
with  Christ,  he  tells  us  that  he  could  do  "all 
things." 

Let  us  think  of  the  text  for  a  time.  The  servant 
of  Elisha  was  greatly  frightened,  but  Elisha  ap- 
pears to  have  been  perfectly  calm.  His  prayer 
is  a  model  of  brevity  and  force.  Why  did  this 
vision  come  to  the  young  man?  for  it  was  un- 
doubtedly not  for  Elisha,  and  we  are  not  sure 
that  Elisha  even«saw  it.  It  could  not  have  been 
that  the  horses  and  chariots  of  fire  were  for  com- 
bat, as  will  be  seen  by  reading  on.  They  were 
not  for  Elisha,  as  he  needed  nothing  of  this  kind 
to  make  him  fearless.  They  were  to  show  the 
young  man  that  God  and  one  man  are  a  majority. 
Elisha  knew  it  before.  It  has  always  been  true 
that  all  the  soul  needs  is  to  be  on  God's  side. 
"Some  trust  in  horses,  and  some  in  chariots,  but 
we  will  trust  in  the  Lord  God."  Strange  as  it 
may  seem,  the  unseen  forces  of  God  please  the 


THE  UNSEEN  FORCES  OF  GOD   163 

man  of  strong  faith  more  than  those  forces  which 
are  all  prevailing  with  the  world.  This  man  be- 
lieves the  right  will  prevail  and  has  no  fear  of 
consequences  when  contending  and  standing  for 
the  right. 

Early  in  my  ministry  I  learned  something  along 
these  lines  which  has  been  with  me  through  the 
years.  I  was  appointed  to  a  mission  church  with 
only  a  few  members.  It  was  the  only  Protestant 
church  in  a  town  of  six  hundred  population. 
Railroad  construction  was  on,  and  there  were 
fourteen  saloons  in  the  town.  One  of  my  men  in 
the  church  was  a  leader,  holding  several  im- 
portant offices,  and  I  had  often  thought  that  we 
would  be  helpless  without  him.  One  day  he  in- 
form edx  me  that  he  would  soon  leave.  My  first 
impulse  was  that  I  might  just  as  .well  leave;  but 
there  came  the  assurance  that  God  was  with  us, 
and  that  his  work  could  not  be  stopped  or  even 
hindered  by  one  man.  As  I  learned  to  look  at  it, 
it  was  a  good  thing  for  the  church  that  he  left. 
A  one-man  church  is  a  poor  affair  anyway.  The 
church  was  stimulated,  the  preacher  came  to  rely 
more  upon  God,  and  the  work  of  the  Kingdom 
moved  forward  better  than  before. 

The  resources  of  God  are  never  wanting  for  the 
accomplishing  of  God's  work;  there  never  has 
been  a  time  that  God  has  failed  to  provide  for 
the  needs  of  the  world  even  in  a  material  sense. 
Man's  extremity  is  God's  opportunity,  and  the 
need  is  greater  faith  in  God  and  less  in  man. 


164       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

Our  forefathers  hovered  over  fires  of  wood  on 
the  Atlantic  coast,  little  dreaming  that  under- 
neath them  were  hidden  stores  of  coal  which 
would  be  taken  out  of  the  bowels  of  the  earth  as 
needed  for  the  increasing  population.  Westward 
the  population  moved  and  increased  and  always 
new  stores  of  coal  were  discovered.  Though  we 
have  ninety  millions  of  people,  there  is  coal  in 
abundance,  with  thousands  of  acres  more  in 
Alaska  to  be  developed,  when  the  politicians  are 
through  quarreling  over  it.  And  if  the  coal 
should  all  be  exhausted,  there  are  the  oil  wells; 
and  if  they  should  cease,  then  I  remember  that 
God  is  constantly  lifting  the  moisture  from  ocean 
and  lake,  congealing  it  and  dropping  it  upon  the 
mountain  sides,  then  kissing  it  with  his  sunshine 
till  it  melts  and  develops  power  moving  toward 
the  valley;  and  if  all  the  water  power  of  the 
Northwest  were  captured,  there  would  be  enough 
to  heat  and  illuminate  every  house  and  turn  all 
the  wheels  of  commerce. 

They  tell  us  that  after  a  while  all  the  hills  will 
be  denuded  and  there  will  be  no  lumber;  but 
Edison  says  "then  we  will  build  concrete  houses 
more  cheaply  than  frame  houses,  and  better." 
God's  resources  are  sufficient  even  in  a  material 
sense. 

The  same  is  doubly  true  in  the  spiritual  sense. 
No  moral  or  spiritual  emergency  is  so  great  that 
God's  resources  are  not  abundant  for  all  needs. 
The  statesman  need  not  fear  to  do  right.  The 


THE  UNSEEN  FORCES  OF  GOD   165 

business  man  is  safe  in  being  true  to  himself,  his 
neighbor,  and  his  God.  And  it  may  be  safely 
said  to  any  man  when  he  is  in  trouble  or  in  fear-, 
"The  mountains  are  full  of  horses  and  chariots 
of  fire." 


FRANCIS  BURGETTE  SHORT 
FIRST  CHURCH,  SPOKANE,  WASHINGTON 

Francis  Burgette  Short  was  born  in  the  State 
of  Delaware  December  20,  1868.  His  parents, 
Isaac  Burton  and  Julia  Ann  Short,  were  leaders 
in  the  religious  thought  and  activity  of  their  com- 
munity. Their  home  was  the  stopping  place  for 
the  "presiding  elder"  and  the  "circuit  preacher." 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  graduated  from  the 
Wilmington  Conference  Academy  in  1889  and 
from  Delaware  College  in  1891.  The  honorary 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  upon 
him  by  the  College  of  Puget  Sound  in  1913.  He 
has  served  conspicuous  pastorates  in  the  Wil- 
mington Conference  at  Harrison  Street  and  Ep- 
worth  Churches,  Wilmington,  Delaware.  He  has 
also  had  successful  pastorates  at  First  Church, 
Portland,  Oregon ;  First  Church,  Salt  Lake  City, 
Utah,  and  he  is  now  pastor  of  the  First  Church, 
Spokane,  Washington,  where  his  influence  is  felt 
in  the  politic,  civic,  business,  and  religious  move- 
ments of  the  city. 


166 


BROTHER  ENOCH 

FRANCIS  BURGETTE  SHORT 

"And  Enoch  walked  with  God:  and  he  was  not;  for 
God  took  him."— Gen.  5.  24. 

THE  biography  of  good  folks  is  always  inter- 
esting and  inspiring;  it  stimulates  the  mind, 
quickens  the  moral  sensibilities,  and  pushes 
farther  back  the  horizon  of  life,  that  keener  eyes 
may  glimpse  the  far-away  but  oncoming  events. 
Every  epoch  of  history  has  had  its  moral  heroes, 
who  have  made  glorious  the  times  in  which  they 
have  lived  and  conspicuous  the  things  for  which 
they  have  stood — those  moral  Gibraltars  out  there 
in  the  seas  of  human  passion  and  storm.  The 
Bible  is  the  book  of  unbiased  biographies,  and  as 
such  it  gives  itself  entirely  over  to  the  task  of 
character  revealment,  presenting  to  us  its  varied 
characters  who  are  seen  in  their  proper  moral  gar- 
ments, and  in  the  activities  in  which  they  were 
both  interested  and  engaged.  I  want  with  as 
much  clearness  as  possible,  to  present  one  of  these 
characters  to  you  this  morning. 

The  compendium  of  facts  of  Enoch's  life  are 
few:  He  was  born.  He  lived.  He  went  back  to 
God.  Great  facts  these.  Wonderful  is  the  fact 
167 


168       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

of  having  a  life  to  live  right  here  on  the  earth 
among  folks,  with  burdens  to  carry  and  oppor- 
tunities for  serving.  Glorious  is  the  fact  that 
one  may  so  faithfully  carry  life's  burdens  and  re- 
spond to  its  opportunities  that  the  way  back  to 
God  and  heaven  may  be  found.  "Enoch  walked 
with  God" — blessed  privilege ! — "and  he  was  not" ; 
his  earthly  sojourn  was  ended,  "for  God  took  him" 
— glorious  consummation !  Head  that  text  slowly. 
It  is  as  heartful  and  tender  as  ever  fell  from  a 
pure  mother's  lips  as  she  looked  into  the  laugh- 
ing eyes  of  her  own  sweet  child.  "And  Enoch 
walked  with  God :  and  he  was  not ;  for  God  took 
him."  The  whole  world  loves  the  short  story  of 
Brother  Enoch's  life  because  the  whole  world  has 
seen  his  life  duplicated  in  its  every  community. 
We  have  all  seen  and  know  Brother  Enoch;  and 
we  love  him  too. 

Character  is  assertive ;  it  cannot  be  suppressed ; 
it  must  speak  in  the  voice,  flash  in  the  eye,  throb 
in  the  hand-grasp,  and  pour  itself  out  upon  the 
generation  in  which  it  lives.  Some  characters, 
like  some  plants,  are  ever  and  always  poisonous 
and  destructive,  while  other  characters,  like  other 
plants,  are  ever  and  always  life-giving.  Brother 
Enoch  belonged  to  the  latter  class;  he  was  of 
heroic  mold  and  a  choice  spirit;  he  faced  the 
issues  of  life,  as  they  came  to  him,  bravely,  and 
won  for  himself  the  brilliant  place  which  he  ever 
holds  in  the  sky  of  God's  moral  universe  because 
"he  walked  with  God." 


BROTHER  ENOCH  169 

Life  demands  and  seeks  companionship.  The 
very  fundamental  of  soul  growth  and  human  hap- 
piness was  expressed,  when  God  said,  "It  is  not 
good  for  man  to  be  alone."  God  wanted  his  ideal 
creation  to  develop,  to  grow,  to  be  happy.  Com- 
panionship is  a  necessity  for  growth  and  for  hap- 
piness. God  never  intended  that  good  folks 
should  withdraw  themselves  from  the  crowded 
thoroughfares.  Here  is  where  they  should  be. 
The  hermit  may  become  a  cold  storage  of  facts 
and  philosophies,  but  he  will  never  be  the  center 
of  life-giving  impulses  and  inspirations,  so  long 
as  he  remains  a  hermit.  Facts  are  good  and  neces- 
sary, but  the  soul  cannot  live  and  grow  upon  mere 
facts  any  more  than  a  hard-working  man  can  get 
fat  eating  dry  shredded-wheat  biscuits.  The  soul 
must  have  facts  that  have  in  them  the  warmth 
and  the  inspiration  which  holy  companionship 
assures;  and  the  busy  world,  out  there,  requires 
just  the  tonic  which  really  good  folks  bring  to  it. 
And  the  greatest  asset  of  this  community  and 
every  community  is  its  possession  of  some  Brother 
Enoch  to  warm  and  cheer  and  lead  on  its  hosts 
along  the  highway  to  God  and  heaven. 

The  importance  of  companionship  becomes  more 
and  more  evident.  The  lack  of  the  proper  com- 
panionship is  the  large  factor  in  the  establish- 
ment of  our  juvenile  courts  and  penal  institu- 
tions. The  general  thought  of  the  prison  is  that 
it  is  a  place  for  the  punishment  of  wrongdoers. 
This  seems  to  be  a  necessity  both  for  the  criminal 


170       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

and  society,  and  the  average  criminal,  after  serv- 
ing his  term,  is  released  and  returned  to  society 
with  the  same  character,  possibly  worse  than 
when  he  entered  the  prison.  There  is  a  sense  in 
which  his  imprisonment  has  been  a  failure.  The 
State  owes  it  to  society  to  punish  the  criminal 
and  it  also  owes  it  to  society  to  return  the  once 
criminal  back  to  society  a  much  better  man  than 
when  it  placed  him  in  its  institution.  The  State 
should  make  some  effort  to  so  befriend  its  crimi- 
nal class  while  serving  sentence  that  they  may  be 
inspired  with  better  motives  and  higher  ideals  of 
life  and  this  idea  has  taken  root  and  is  being 
practiced  in  some  of  our  penal  institutions  with 
marked  success. 

But  why  this  youth  before  the  kindly  disposed 
juvenile  court?  Somewhere  behind  all  somebody 
has  failed  to  furnish  the  proper  companionship. 
Who  was  it?  I  cannot  answer  that  perplexing 
question.  It  might  have  been  an  unsolicitous  or 
unwise  parent;  it  might  have  been  some  un- 
guarded preacher;  it  might  have  been  some  indis- 
creet teacher;  it  might  have  been  some  so-called 
friend.  But  O  the  tragedy  of  these  improp- 
erly companioned  lives!  What  shadows  they 
throw  across  their  homes !  What  grave  responsi- 
bilities they  throw  upon  society !  O,  holy  task  of 
the  church  to  inspire  communities  to  bring  to 
bear  upon  these  young  lives  the  influences  they 
need,  the  influences  of  men  and  women  who  walk 
with  God ! 


BKOTHEK  ENOCH  171 

Brother  Enoch  walked  with  God — he  pursued 
the  religious  life ;  he  gave  himself  seriously  to  the 
work  in  hand ;  he  rose  superior  to  the  forces  that 
dominated  in  his  community;  he  contended  for 
the  faith  of  Israel,  and  just  how  well  he  suc- 
ceeded the  text  makes  known.  We  must  not  fail 
to  recognize  that  environment  affects  character. 
Enoch  was  sixty-five  years  old  before  he  began  to 
walk  with  God.  Nor  must  we  forget  that  God 
working  through  the  will  and  the  soul  enables 
one  to  rise  above  his  environment.  We  all  have 
knowledge  of  saintly  souls  who  defied  their  he- 
redity, environment,  early  associates,  and  limita- 
tion of  opportunities ;  we  have  seen  some  of  them 
rise  to  places  of  honor,  power,  and  Christian  in- 
fluence simply  and  solely  because  they  compa- 
nied  with  those  who  walked  with  God  until 
they  too  learned  to  recognize  and  to  love  his  com- 
panionship. 

Brother  Enoch  and  God  had  a  common  interest 
and  objective  in  life.  These  bound  them  together, 
and  they  walked  along  the  highway  in  the  same 
direction  until  God  took  Enoch  unto  himself. 
This  common  interest  is  necessary  to  hold  men  to- 
gether. Political  interests  bind  them  into  parties. 
Patriotic  interests  establish  nations.  A  common 
interest  is  expressed  in  our  church  life  and  de- 
nominational endeavors.  A  common  interest 
sometimes  brings  together  spirits  that  seem  far 
removed  from  each  other  and  unites  them  in  the 
deepest  experiences  and  holiest  joys.  A  common. 


172       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

interest  may  prove  a  blessing  or  a  curse,  and  you 
need  to  exercise  the  greatest  care  in  trying  to  dis- 
cover the  character  of  the  interests  which  bind 
you  and  your  companions  together.  Does  the 
common  interest  benefit  you?  Does  it  bless  your 
companion?  Enoch  and  God  were  a  blessing  to 
each  other. 

Young  friend,  listen !  You  need  the  companion- 
ship of  God.  The  pathway  of  life  is  so  uncertain 
and  rough,  its  experiences  are  so  changeable  and 
its  burdens  are  so  heavy.  To-day  is  fair  and  the 
sea  is  calm,  but  you  may  run  into  a  terrible  storm 
ere  the  next  sun  rises.  You  need  God  to  cling  to, 
and  you  need  God  to  cling  to  you.  Disappoint- 
ment may  one  day  sweep  down  upon  your  life  and 
sink  its  claws  into  your  vitals.  You  need  to  be 
able  to  hear  the  "Fear  not"  of  God.  Sorrow  will 
some  day  empty  its  bottles  into  your  heart  and 
you  will  cry,  "What  shall  I  do  ?"  You  need  to  be 
able  to  hear,  "Come  unto  me,  and  I  will  give  you 
rest."  You  need  God's  companionship,  and  God 
wants  your  companionship,  and  I  very  much 
doubt  if  he  will  ever  be  fully  satisfied  until  you 
and  he  are  walking  together  toward  the  same  ob- 
jective, urged  on  by  the  same  common  interest. 
The  things  God  liked  Brother  Enoch  also  liked. 
The  things  God  wanted  Brother  Enoch  wanted 
too;  they  were  bound  together  by  a  common  in- 
terest. 

What  made  the  Mayflower  sail?  The  common 
interests  of  its  occupants.  What  compacted  the 


BROTHER  ENOCH  173 

thirteen  original  colonies?  Their  common  in- 
terest. What  builds  our  churches?  What  deter- 
mines our  denominations?  What  overleaps  de- 
nominational walls?  The  common  interest  which 
we  have  and  hold  and  cherish  for  the  cause  for 
which  Christ  died.  And  by  this  interest  express- 
ing itself  as  Christ  would  have  it  there  shall  be 
perfected  a  brotherhood  precious  beyond  descrip- 
tion and  priceless  beyond  gold. 

The  very  phrasing  of  the  text  is  suggestive. 
Read  it  again.  Note  how  Enoch  was  with  God 
on  that  walk.  God  suggested  it  and  planned  it, 
and  Enoch  went  with  him.  They  were  going  some- 
where. There  is  no  such  a  place  as  "Nowhere." 
God  and  Enoch  went  somewhere.  You  are  going 
somewhere  too.  Life  means  progress,  advance- 
ment, growth.  Toward  some  destination  we  move, 
and  most  of  us  are  moving  with  somebody.  Where 
are  you  leading  your  companions?  Toward  what 
somewhere  are  your  companions  leading  you? 
These  questions  involve  the  welfare  of  both  your 
friends  and  you ;  hence  they  are  serious  questions. 
But  you  must  answer  them.  They  cannot  be  es- 
caped, though  they  are  heavy  with  personal  re- 
sponsibility. You  must  answer  them  both  now 
and  at  the  bar  of  God's  judgment.  You  must 
answer  this  question  just  as  fairly  as  did  Enoch. 
With  whom  will  you  walk?  "Choose  you  this 
day  whom  you  will  serve."  What  will  you  do 
with  Jesus,  the  Christ?  Enoch  decided  and 
walked  with  God  three  hundred  years.  Nothing 


174       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

fickle  about  Enoch ;  nothing  spasmodic.  Religion 
was  the  dominant  issue  in  Enoch's  life.  "He 
walked  with  God."  In  this  he  never  hesitated, 
faltered,  or  failed. 

"And  he  was  not" ;  that  is,  he  was  missed  from 
the  community;  he  was  sought  but  could  not  be 
found;  he  had  arisen  from  sight;  he  was  lost  to 
both  friend  and  foe.  There  is  nothing  strange  or 
unnatural  about  this  Scripture,  "He  was  not." 
God's  ways  are  frequently  mysterious  to  us.  Of 
course  the  community  missed  Brother  Enoch. 
Every  community  misses  its  good  men  and  good 
women  when  God  takes  them  home.  Enoch's  life 
had  been  luminous  and  life-giving  to  the  age  in 
which  he  lived  for  three  hundred  years;  he  had 
been  the  one  bright  star  of  its  moral  firmament; 
he  had  been  the  one  man  about  whose  life  had 
grown  in  clusters  the  virtues  of  the  children  of 
God.  Men  looked  upon  him  as  the  embodiment 
of  justice  and  mercy,  the  incarnation  of  righteous- 
ness and  truth.  His  home,  yonder,  was  pointed  to 
as  the  dwelling  place  of  the  companion  of  God, 
and  those  who  drew  near  his  abode  felt  the  in- 
fluence of  his  holy  life  environing  them.  Every 
community  knows  where  its  Brother  Enochs  live, 
and  misses  them  when  they  are  gone,  though  it 
may  be  slow  to  acknowledge  their  influence.  Have 
we  not  all  at  some  time  known  and  seen  Brother 
Enoch? 

Back  to  the  days  of  your  childhood  and  youth, 
let  memory  return  to  recall  those  whose  lives 


BEOTHER  ENOCH  175 

stood  out  like  blessed  beacons  along  the  border 
years  of  your  lives.  As  their  names  pass  through 
your  mind,  a  thrill  of  holy  joy  possesses  you.  How 
circumspect  their  activities!  How  reverential 
their  walk  and  conversation !  With  what  careful 
deliberation  they  expressed  an  opinion!  They 
bulked  large  on  the  side  of  right  living.  Their 
light  shone  with  unmistakable  directness  and 
luster.  Their  influence  was  ever  helpful  and 
wholesome.  They  had  associated  lovingly  and 
long  with  the  Companion  of  Enoch.  They  had 
caught  the  luster  of  the  eye  of  Him  who  sleepeth 
not.  They  had  learned  to  put  their  feet  in  the 
steps  wherein  was  left  the  print  of  the  nails. 
They  had  satisfied  their  heart's  quest  and  thirst 
with  the  water  that  maketh  glad  the  city  of  our 
God.  Sometimes  their  neighbors  thought  they 
were  narrow  and  queer,  but  they  never  questioned 
their  sincerity  nor  integrity  of  soul.  Have  you 
not  seen  just  such  Brother  Enochs  in  your  com- 
munity? What  a  blessing  they  were!  When 
some  poor  family  was  hungry,  Brother  Enoch 
carried  them  food.  When  somebody  was  sick, 
Brother  Enoch  visited  him.  When  some  poor  soul 
was  about  to  leave  the  earth,  it  was  Brother 
Enoch's  voice,  poured  out  in  prayer,  that  helped 
the  dying  man  to  seize  the  rope  of  faith  and  swing 
over  into  God's  side  of  eternity. 

"He  was  not;  for  God  took  him."  The  com- 
munity wondered,  and  neighbors  inquired  of  each 
other,  "Have  you  seen  Brother  Enoch?"  Every- 


176       PACIFIC  NOKTHWEST  PULPIT 

body  missed  him.  No  one  could  find  him.  He 
was  the  subject  of  conversation  in  the  village,  the 
chief  topic  of  the  city.  Men  wondered  how  they 
ever  would  get  along  without  him.  "He  was  not" 
seen  around  any  more.  But  "he  was  not"  per- 
mitted to  see  death.  Death  is  not  a  necessity  to 
reach  heaven,  though  "we  shall  all  be  changed" 
to  meet  the  new  conditions  into  which  we  shall 
be  taken.  However,  the  thing  that  should  con- 
cern us  now  is  not  what  about  the  "change"  but 
what  about  the  "walk"  with  God.  Not  about  the 
end  but  the  way  that  leads  to  the  end. 

"God  took  him"  back  to  himself.  That  cheers 
the  toiler  along  the  upward  way.  "God  took 
him."  That  confirms  the  soul's  declaration  of 
itself,  "I  shall  never  die."  That  witnesses  to  the 
universal  belief  in  immortality.  That  confirms 
the  soul's  faith  in  a  place  of  future  habitation. 
"God  took  him"  somewhere.  God  has  a  place  to 
take  those  who  walk  with  him.  There  is  a  place 
where  the  weary  shall  rest,  where  the  victor  shall 
be  crowned,  and  where  the  sun  shall  not  go  down. 
I  have  no  theory  about  heaven,  but  I  most  firmly 
believe  that  God  has  a  "place"  that  is  glorious 
as  well  as  a  "condition"  that  is  immortal  for 
those  that  love  him.  Did  not  Christ  declare,  "I 
go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you"?  "I  will  receive 
you  unto  myself."  Certainly,  God  took  Enoch, 
and  God  delighted  to  take  him  because  of  Enoch's 
fidelity.  They  were  friends  and  companions,  and 
had  walked  together  so  long  that  God  would  have 


BROTHER  ENOCH  177 

been  lonely  without  Brother  Enoch.    Heaven  was 
more  gloriously  heaven  with  him. 

I  have  seen  some  of  these  modern  Enochs  whose 
lives  have  made  glorious  the  communities  in 
which  they  lived.  There  was  Brother  Atkins, 
who  was  ignorant  of  the  literature  and  the  activi- 
ties of  the  world,  but  he  knew  God  and  walked 
with  him  so  winsomely  that  multitudes  of  others 
were  constrained  to  join  their  company.  Hickory 
Hill  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Sussex  County, 
Delaware,  is  to-day  largely  what  it  is  because  this 
modern  Brother  Enoch  lived  and  walked  with 
God  in  that  community.  Then  there  was  my  own 
dear  father,  whose  walk  and  conversation  in  his 
community  made  him  one  of  the  most  conspicuous 
of  modern  Enochs  in  his  own  State.  For  fifty 
years  this  lay  prophet  of  God  gave  himself  un- 
sparingly to  the  one  supreme  task  of  blazing 
away  in  the  moral  firmament,  and  men  saw  his 
light  and  glorified  his  Father  in  heaven.  Won- 
derful was  he  in  prayer,  and  powerful  in  exhorta- 
tion. Many  the  camp  meeting  service  that  was 
brought  back  to  life  under  his  exhortation  after 
some  of  us  theologians  had  tried  and  failed. 
Isaac  B.  Short  walked  with  God  just  as  truly 
and  willingly  as  Enoch  ever  did,  and  when  he 
died  the  community  asked:  "Who  will  now  con- 
duct the  revival  meetings?  Who  will  pray  the 
dying  sinner  up  to  God's  holy  hill?"  We  have 
all  known  these  modern  Enochs,  these  choice 
spirits  of  the  earth,  these  souls  that  will  make 


178       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

heaven  glorious.  But  they  are  not.  God  has 
taken  them.  The  loss  of  earth  proves  the  gain 
of  heaven.  Brother  Enoch  is  not  among  us  any 
more.  God  has  taken  him. 

What  have  we  learned  from  the  study  of 
Enoch's  life?  That  religion,  one's  right  relation 
to  God  and  man,  should  be  the  chief  and  serious 
concern  of  life: 

That  the  religious  life  requires  companionship 
for  its  development;  that  companionship  decides 
character. 

That  companionship  is  the  result  of  the  com- 
mon interest,  which  is  expressed  wherever  men 
are  associated. 

That  God  plans  and  points  the  way,  and  men 
will  ever  do  well  to  give  his  plans  a  large  place 
in  their  calculations. 

That  death  is  not  a  physical  necessity,  though 
a  change  is  required. 

That  God  is  morally  bound  and  also  pleased 
to  reward  those  who  walk  with  him  in  the  midst 
of  an  unholy  generation. 

That  Christ  is  the  proof  of  our  companionship 
with  God. 

That  immortality  is  assured  in  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

That  there  is  a  place  prepared  for  those  who 
have  and  enjoy  the  holy  companionships  of  earth. 

That  fidelity  shall  receive  its  reward. 

These  are  some  of  the  lessons  that  I  have 
learned  from  the  study  of  Brother  Enoch's  life. 


BROTHER  ENOCH  179 

I've  tried  to  impress  these  lessons  upon  your 
minds  and  hearts,  this  morning,  with  the  hope 
and  the  prayer  that  we  may  all  so  walk  with  God 
here  that  we  shall  have  his  companionship  here- 
after. 


GABKIEL  SYKES 

WATERVILLE,  WASHINGTON 

Gabriel  Sykes  was  born  in  Blackley,  England,  a 
little  Yorkshire  village,  on  October  20,  1863.  He 
began  school  and  work  at  the  same  time  when 
eight  years  of  age,  working  in  the  factory  half  of 
each  day  and  attending  school  under  the  auspices 
of  the  National  Church  of  England  for  the  other 
half.  At  thirteen  attendance  in  day  school  ceased. 
In  1889  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  after 
one  year  as  a  supply  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the 
Oregon  Conference.  In  1901,  after  years  of  hard 
study,  preaching,  and  teaching  he  received  his 
B.A.  degree  from  Willamette  University.  He  was 
transferred  to  the  Columbia  River  Conference  in 
1903  and  was  stationed  at  Pullman,  Washington, 
and  after  two  years'  pastorate  was  appointed  su- 
perintendent of  Walla  Walla  District,  where  he 
served  with  efficiency  for  the  full  term  of  six 
years.  At  the  conclusion  of  his  term  he  requested 
an  appointment  on  circuit  and  his  wish  was 
granted. 


180 


THE  PROGRAM  OF  LIFE 

GABRIEL  SYKES 

"To  everything  there  is  a  season,  and  a  time  to  every 
purpose  under  heaven." — Eccles.  3.  1. 

"Come  now,  ye  that  say,  To-day  or  to-morrow  we  will 
go  into  this  city,  and  spend  a  year  there,  and  trade,  and 
get  gain:  whereas  ye  know  not  what  shall  be  on  the 
morrow.  .  .  .  For  that  ye  ought  to  say,  If  the  Lord 
will,  we  shall  both  live,  and  do  this  or  that" — James 
4.  13-15. 

A  FRIEND  in  my  congregation  has  requested  me 
to  invite  attention  to  the  question  of  some  reason- 
able division  of  our  time  whereby  we  might  insure 
an  attempt  to  do  each  life  duty. 

First.  The  writer  of  Ecclesiastes  takes  the  po- 
sition, whatever  seems  necessary  to  be  done  in 
this  life  will  find  its  opportunity :  there  is  a  suit- 
able occasion  for  each  transaction.  The  writer 
of  our  second  text  is  insisting  that  life  is  very 
uncertain,  and  its  length  lies  not  in  our  keeping 
or  knowledge.  So  he  believes  that  the  very  im- 
portant thing  is  to  recognize  in  every  plan  we 
make  the  supervision  of  the  Divine,  and  hence  a 
deference  to  his  direction  that  will  show  our 
reverence  for  and  our  confidence  in  him.  In 
other  words,  one  of  these  men  says,  "Life  is  not 
181 


182       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

an  aimless  affair,  although  it  is  made  up  of  a 
multitude  of  events."  The  other  says,  "Life 
affords  no  place  for  a  haughty  independence,  nor 
yet  for  despair!" 

Second.  I  remember  when  a  schoolboy  the 
teacher  taught  me  to  define  a  verb  as  the  word 
in  a  sentence  which  expressed  being,  doing,  and 
suffering.  This  most  expressive  word  in  any 
language  is  the  word  which  comes  nearest  to  de- 
fining the  contents  of  one's  life.  Put  in  a  few 
qualifications  after  recognizing  each  word  in  this 
definition  as  a  verbal  noun  and  we  should  not  go 
far  wrong  in  trying  to  tell  one  another  what  con- 
stitutes life  as  we  must  live  it. 

Perhaps  we  should  prefer  the  word  "experience" 
to  the  word  "suffering."  Of  course  the  gram- 
marians used  it  in  its  large  sense  of  "undergoing 
any  sort  of  experience" — whatever  spent  itself 
in  or  upon  the  person  indicated  as  the  subject 
of  the  sentence.  Adopting  such  a  suggestion,  it 
becomes  quite  clear  that  the  being  is  the  founda- 
tion. What  I  am  is  going  to  determine  to  a  great 
extent  my  activities  and  my  experiences. 

Yet  it  is  quite  true  that  when  I  get  through, 
the  activities  and  experiences  will  have  some- 
what modified  what  /  am.  I  may  remain  a  white 
man,  an  American,  a  man  with  a  tendency  to  put 
on  flesh;  phlegmatic  in  temperament;  one,  slow 
to  perceive,  defective  in  powers  of  observation,  and 
so  forth,  but  in  all  directions  some  modifications 
will  have  arisen  out  of  the  passive  and  active  ex- 


THE  PROGRAM  OF  LIFE  183 

periences  through  which  I  have  passed.  No  gen- 
eration is  exactly  like  the  one  that  has  preceded 
it.  So  while  being  has  the  start,  doing  and  ex- 
periencing put  on  the  finishing  touches,  and  we 
come  back  again  to  being. 

Third.  Then  I  think  we  shall  readily  agree  that 
the  real  object  of  living  this  life  is,  the  perma- 
nent improvement  of  ourselves.  It  may  turn  out 
finally  that  life  is  simply  the  unfolding  of  what 
is  wrapped  up  within  us.  However  that  may  be, 
is  it  not  true  that  we  are  here  to  make  the  most 
of  ourselves?  We  call  ourselves  personalities; 
then  the  one  great  business  in  life  is  to  enrich 
these  personalities.  We  know  how  prone  we  are 
to  endeavor  to  make  life  easier  for  this  person- 
ality, to  indulge  it,  to  enrich  it  in  circumstances, 
to  substitute  its  environment  for  itself.  But  when 
we  deeply  consider  it  we  must  acknowledge  to 
ourselves  that  life  has  not  succeeded  unless  the 
being  has  improved.  And  I  think  the  old  theo- 
logian who  told  our  fathers  that  the  whole  duty 
of  man  was  to  "glorify  God  and  enjoy  him  for- 
ever" would  admit  that  to  seek  the  full  develop- 
ment of  God's  plan  for  our  lives  is  to  accomplish 
such  "glory"  and  will  lead  to  such  "enjoyment." 

Whatever  one  may  think  of  the  length  of  man's 
existence,  one  cannot  avoid  the  conclusion  that 
everything  places  emphasis  upon  its  quality.  No 
doubt  it  is  fair  to  say  that  such  insistence  upon 
quality  is  suggestive  of  something  permanent  in 
the  individual;  and,  standing  where  he  does  in 


184       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

the  processes  of  nature,  it  is  not  difficult  to  draw 
the  inference  that  the  ultimate  reason  may  be 
found  in  man's  eternal  destiny. 

Fourth.  When  we  turn  from  the  individual  and 
his  make-up  to  his  relationships  we  are  imme- 
diately struck  with  the  immense  number  of  things 
which  one  must  do  for  others  if  there  is  to  be 
calm  upon  life's  sea,  and,  indeed,  the  large  service 
the  mature  individual  must  render  to  the  imma- 
ture if  the  human  species  shall  be  simply  pre- 
served. So  the  helplessness  of  his  infancy  seems 
to  be  the  foundation  of  his  altruism,  as  Professor 
Drummond  has  so  eloquently  argued  in  his  Ascent 
of  Man.  He  is  made  for  these  relationships,  and 
they  in  turn  are  the  school  in  which  he  receives 
his  education.  But  this  very  relation  of  parent 
and  child  has  also  put  a  keen  edge  to  his  selfish- 
ness on  occasion.  True,  he  has  been  anxious  to 
care  for  his  children,  but  in  case  nature  has  failed 
to  respond  to  his  hunting  or  industry  so  as  to 
assure  enough  for  both  his  and  the  neighbor's 
children,  this  very  care  for  them  has  led  to  bitter 
competition  and  rivalry  between  one  set  of  par- 
ents and  another.  Only  gradually  has  he  grouped 
himself  into  larger  circles.  Perhaps  England  and 
Eussia  afford  examples  of  the  largest  economic 
groups  under  one  government.  Our  patriotisms 
seem  to  be  extending.  When  Christianity  has 
really  been  adopted  by  the  various  races  of  men 
we  shall  see  that  nothing  but  a  world-patriotism 
adequately  expresses  our  relationships. 


THE  PROGRAM  OF  LIFE  185 

Fifth.  How,  then,  shall  we  give  appropriate 
attention  to  the  program  of  life  which  such  a  con- 
ception seems  to  thrust  upon  us?  As  a  race  we 
have  developed  institutionalism  because  of  the 
complex  nature  of  this  life.  Institutionalism  rep- 
resents, in  a  sense,  a  division  of  labor.  The  home 
has  proven  its  fundamental  necessity;  the  more 
devoted  its  members  have  become  to  each  other's 
interests — the  more  reciprocal  its  duties  and 
privileges  have  been  conceived  to  be — the  finer 
the  influence  the  home  has  had  upon  its  members. 
The  church  has  been  thrust  out  of  the  home  be- 
cause of  the  increasing  complications  of  life. 
Government  is  another  necessary  division  of  life's 
work,  whereby  man  is  saved  much  anxiety. 

Education  is  seen  to  be  so  vast  a  thing  that  the 
school  has  become  a  branch  of  the  home.  Social 
life  with  its  amenities  and  inspirations  has  grown 
up  and  developed  its  conventionalities,  and  its 
various  methods  of  indicating  sympathy  and  co- 
operation. Business  and  industry  have  grown 
from  simple  barter  into  all  sorts  of  organized 
forms.  Art  and  science  are  the  natural  expres- 
sion of  man  opening  himself  to  the  vast  universe 
in  which  any  branch  of  industry  has  gone  too  far 
when  it  makes  of  a  man  a  mere  machine;  and  if 
it  shall  continue,  then  we  must  reduce  to  a  mini- 
mum the  hours  he  shall  spend  at  such  a  task.  We 
cannot  afford  to  rob  Darwin,  the  great  human 
soul,  of  his  taste  for  music  and  poetry,  say,  in 
order  to  produce  Darwin  the  scientist,  much  as 


186       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

we  may  appreciate  him  in  the  latter  capacity. 
We  often  remind  ourselves  that  it  is  not  wealth 
we  need  so  much  as  well-being.  Then  none  of 
these  divisions,  not  even  the  home,  must  be  per- 
mitted to  consume  the  person.  It  is  the  whole 
being  that  must  finally  furnish  the  expression  of 
all  that  has  gone  into  it,  and  all  that  he  has  been 
able  to  unfold.  A  man  should  seek  not  merely 
ability  to  express  himself  in  music,  industry,  poe- 
try, politics,  and  so  forth,  but  his  possession  of  a 
nature  which  serves  human  ends  in  all  possible 
ways.  But  while  I  believe  the  ends  life  has  in 
view  preclude  over-specialization,  they  neverthe- 
less do  call  for  an  order  of  decreasing  importance 
on  the  part  of  these  divisions  which  a  long  race 
experience  has  brought  about. 

As  I  have  already  suggested,  all  the  divisions 
spring  from  the  home.  Hence  the  home  must  al- 
ways have  the  first  place.  Even  one's  work  or 
occupation,  as  we  call  it,  should  be  made  as  nearly 
as  possible  to  accommodate  itself  to  the  needs  of 
home.  It  is  one  of  the  sad  things  of  our  modern 
industries  that  they  encroach  upon  our  home  life. 
I  can  remember  the  contrast  between  the  coziness 
and  homelikeness  of  grandfather's  handloom  up- 
stairs, and  the  noisy  ten  hours  in  the  factory  with 
only  time  for  one  family  meal  during  the  day. 
Where  men  and  women  may  largely  control  the 
workday,  the  spiritual  demands  of  the  home 
must  not  be  subordinate  to  economic  well-being. 

If  then,  even  the  earning  of  daily  bread  should 


THE  PROGRAM  OF  LIFE  187 

not  be  allowed  to  interfere  with  the  higher  ends 
of  the  home,  it  is  evident  that  no  institution  can 
have  claims  which  will  spoil  this  sacred  spot. 
School  and  church  call  for  a  large  place  in  our 
lives,  and  will  repay  what  most  of  us  give  to 
them,  but  their  plans  and  methods  should  always 
be  subordinated  to  the  home.  On  the  other  hand, 
a  genuine  and  reasonable  interest  in  enterprises 
and  institutions  outside  the  home  is  demanded 
by  the  home  itself,  because  of  the  breezes  which 
will  blow  from  them  through  the  home  to  freshen 
and  invigorate.  No  home  is  complete  that  does 
not  open  cheerfully  and  sympathetically  toward 
the  great  world  without.  The  Old  Testament 
writer  has  observed  aptly  that  there  is  a  time  for 
every  legitimate  duty;  "duties  never  clash." 

Next  to  the  spiritual  interests  of  the  home,  I 
should  place  the  bread-winning.  The  other  affairs 
of  life  must  arrange  themselves  about  one's  call- 
ing. Meetings,  conventions  of  school  or  church 
or  club,  or  participation  in  government,  must  find 
a  time  and  place  which  will  not  clash  with  one's 
endeavor  to  earn  a  living  for  self  and  family. 

Next  ought  to  come  the  church  as  an  institution 
which  seeks  to  further  our  religious  education, 
and  afford  an  opportunity  for  our  generosity  and 
altruistic  service.  Not,  mark  you,  as  the  only  ex- 
pression of  the  religious  spirit,  any  more  than 
other  institutions  exhaust  the  department  of  life 
which  they  emphasize.  After  the  home  and  the 
work  have  received  attention,  then  there  should 


188       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

be  a  place  for  this  definitely  unselfish  task  for 
which  the  church  stands. 

This  brings  us  to  the  school.  Neither  parent 
nor  child  should  allow  himself  to  arrange  a  pro- 
gram for  the  day  or  the  year  which  will  not  leave 
room  for  the  legitimate  demands  of  the  school. 
On  the  other  hand,  those  who  run  these  institu- 
tions should  remember  that  they  have  no  right, 
and  there  ought  to  be  no  need,  to  make  them  cover 
the  whole  horizon — take  up  all  the  evenings  for 
instance.  Much  more  work  might  be  done  in 
some  of  our  schools  during  the  day  and  less  de- 
pendence placed  upon  the  home  to  see  that  the 
lessons  are  ready  for  next  day.  The  home  ought 
not  to  be  asked  to  do  a  large  share  of  the  school's 
work.  The  school  exists  purposely  to  relieve  the 
home  at  this  point,  as  well  as  to  furnish  more 
skillful  training  and  teaching. 

Next  in  importance,  perhaps,  we  ought  to  place 
politics,  or  general  public  questions.  A  certain 
degree  of  familiarity  with  public  policy  and  prin- 
ciples of  government  is  imperative  where  the 
sovereign  power  lies  in  the  citizen. 

No  life  can  be  complete  that  has  not  room  and 
leisure  for  pure  sociability.  This  will  continue 
to  seek  its  expression  through  multitudes  of  or- 
ganizations, as  well  as  in  informal  neighborliness. 
But  an  undue  emphasis  upon  it  is  the  surest  way 
to  shallowness  and  inanity.  It  should  be  pure 
relaxation,  and  no  one  is  entitled  to  that  who  has 
not  put  himself  under  some  degree  of  strain. 


THE  PROGRAM  OF  LIFE  189 

As  to  what  may  come  to  us  through,  books, 
music,  and  pictures,  or  what  we  may  say  through 
them,  one  may  regard  them  as  definite  attempts 
at  intellectual  and  sesthetic  culture.  Happy  the 
individual  who  deliberately  cultivates  some  taste 
in  such  viands. 

Certainly  much  may  be  enjoyed  and  genuine 
service  given  to  our  fellows  without  completing 
this  circle,  but  he  who  seeks  to  make  the  most  of 
himself  will  find  it  necessary  to  throw  open  his 
entire  nature  to  the  influences  in  the  midst  of 
which  he  has  been  planted. 

Sixth.  But,  after  all,  it  is  with  this  as  with 
all  that  concerns  us:  there  is  something  more 
vital  than  a  program,  something  deeper,  more 
fundamental,  than  a  method ;  and  that  something 
is  what  we  call  spirit.  And  there  are  certain  things 
much  more  vital  than  the  institutions  by  means 
of  which  they  find  some  sort  of  expression.  Love 
is  more  than  home,  a  willing  mind  is  more  valu- 
able than  a  school,  honesty  and  thrift  are  more 
precious  than  any  form  of  organized  industry,  re- 
ligion is  greater  than  the  church,  and  sympathy 
is  deeper  than  any  expression  of  it.  Do  not  sus- 
pect for  a  moment  that  in  suggesting  the  church 
shall  be  subordinated  to  the  home,  and  asked  to 
accommodate  its  meetings  and  activities  to  those 
of  this  more  ancient  institution,  that  I  am  giving 
second  place  to  religion.  Religion  is  an  atmos- 
phere; religion  is  a  flavor;  religion  is  leaven;  re- 
ligion is  like  the  ether  of  the  scientist;  religion 


190       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

is  like  the  sun — "there  is  nothing  hid  from  the 
heat  thereof."  The  church  is  specifically  its 
agency,  but  the  home  and  every  department  which 
has  grown  out  of  it  should  be  equally  pervaded 
with  religion. 

Come  now,  ye  that  would  arrange  life  at  any 
point  without  acknowledging  the  Cause,  the  Con- 
trol, of  life !  Take  him  into  all  your  counsels,  and 
know  assuredly  he  will  crowd  nothing !  Well  did 
the  greatest  Religious  Interpreter  say,  "My  yoke 
is  easy  and  my  burden  is  light."  Put  on  the  har- 
ness of  religion  with  which  to  pull  the  whole  load 
of  life.  That  was  a  fine  reminder  for  Martha 
when  Jesus  made  known  to  her  Mary's  wisdom  in 
placing  the  emphasis  upon  the  "manner  of  spirit 
you  are  of" ;  truly,  she  has  something  that  no  one 
can  take  away. 

So  we  may  learn  to  put  "first  things  first,"  and 
above  all  to  catch  the  Master's  spirit,  "Learn  of 
me" — that  subtle,  indefinable  something  about 
Christianity  which  cannot  be  put  into  the  theol- 
ogies, but  which  abides  in  any  life  it  succeeds  in 
entering;  the  savory  grace  that  makes  us  con- 
siderate of  each  other,  that  overlooks  many 
blunders  of  method,  but  that  somehow  leads  men 
to  love  righteousness  more  than  life.  Given  such 
a  spirit,  a  passion  for  knowledge,  and  a  keen  sense 
of  honor,  and  all  things  are  ours;  the  doors  of 
the  universe  stand  open  to  such,  and  the  program 
of  such  a  life  will  have  no  place  for  worry,  for  in- 
dolent wishing,  or  empty  regrets. 


IV.     IDAHO 


JAMES  DAVID  GILLILAN 

SUPERINTENDENT  BOISE  DISTRICT,  BOISE,  IDAHO 

James  David  Gillilan  was  born  May  19,  1858, 
in  Jackson,  Ohio.  He  had  the  advantages  of  the 
public  schools  and  academy,  but  did  not  com- 
plete his  college  course.  In  1883  he  became  a 
member  of  the  Utah  Mission  under  appointment 
of  Bishop  Wiley,  and  in  1898  he  began  work  in 
Idaho.  In  1892  Bishop  Hurst  appointed  him  pre- 
siding elder  in  Utah.  In  1904  Bishop  Spellmeyer 
appointed  him  presiding  elder  of  La  Grande 
District,  Idaho  Conference,  and  in  1912  Bishop 
Luccock  appointed  him  to  the  superintendency 
of  the  Boise  District,  which  position  he  holds  at 
present.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  General  Con- 
ference at  Los  Angeles  in  1904  and  again  in  1912 
at  Minneapolis. 

In  1910  the  Willamette  University  conferred 
upon  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  His 
book,  Trail  Tales,  will  be  issued  by  the  Methodist 
Book  Concern  this  fall. 


192 


BEHOLD  THE  MAN! 

JAMES  DAVID  GILLILAN 
"Behold  the  man!"— John  19.  5. 

THOSE  words  which  contain  the  advice  calcu- 
lated to  do  the  most  good  are  great  words.  Those 
pointing  to  life  are  the  best  and  the  greatest. 
The  universal  world  has  been  looking  for  life, 
and  it  has  been  asking  for  it  in  all  the  ages.  Too 
often  when  the  world's  children  have  asked  for 
bread  they  have  been  given  the  hard  stone  of 
traditional  dogma;  they  have  had  to  take  or  re- 
fuse the  old  serpent  when  they  desired  meat. 
The  only  bread  is  Jesus:  the  only  fish,  Ichthus, 
Jesus  Christ,  Saviour  of  Men.  (lesous  Christos, 
Theou  Uios,  Soter.)  Dogmatism  may  have  been 
good  theology  once,  yet  it  may  be  out  of  date ;  for 
theology  is  a  progressive  science. 

If  the  advice  tending  to  give  one  life  and  safety 
is  the  greatest,  then  the  three  greatest  expressions 
known  to  mankind  are  the  utterance  of  three 
men:  Isaiah,  when  he  said,  "Look  unto  me,  and 
be  ye  saved,  all  the  ends  of  the  earth"  (Isa.  45. 
22)  ;  John  the  Baptist,  "Behold  the  Lamb  of 
God!"  (John  1.  36)  ;  and  Pilate,  most  unchristian, 
193 


194       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

in  the  text  quoted.  The  seeker  for  the  tragic 
need  not  go  to  Euripides  or  Shakespeare  for  in- 
human acts  and  scenes  of  human  suffering.  For 
meaningful  truth  the  Bible  cannot  be  surpassed. 
To  mention  them  would  for  the  student  of  the 
Word  be  waste  of  time.  But  this  scene  herein 
depicted  is  the  most  stupid  and  at  once  the  most 
stupendous  ever  painted  on  the  canvas  scroll  of 
the  history  of  man ;  the  Creator  of  the  race  being 
judged  by  his  creatures  as  a  criminal.  Climax 
and  anti-climax  are  shown  in  one  act. 

Some  years  ago,  accompanied  by  my  wife,  I 
stepped  into  the  courtroom  in  a  small  town  in 
southern  Utah.  It  was  the  judgment  day  of  that 
term.  After  a  number  of  cases  had  been  disposed 
of,  the  judge,  turning  to  the  high-booted  sheriff, 
said  in  a  very  calm  tone  of  voice,  "Bring  in  the 
next  prisoner."  We  heard  his  heavy  footfall  on 
the  steel  steps  as  he  descended  to  the  cage  where 
lay  the  accused.  We  could  hear  the  jingle  of  the 
keys,  the  clack  of  the  thrown  bolt,  the  creak  of 
the  iron  door  on  its  rusty  hinges,  and  the  sound 
of  two  ascending  the  stairs. 

The  man,  pale  from  excitement  and  long  im- 
prisonment, was  seated  in  the  presence  of  the 
judge. 

"Mr.  C ,  you  have  been  found  guilty  of 

murder  in  the  first  degree  and  the  jury  has  made 
no  recommendation  for  mercy.  That  jury  was 
made  up  of  your  peers,  and  has  carefully  brought 
in  this  verdict.  Have  you  anything  to  say  as  to 


BEHOLD  THE  MAN!  195 

why  the  judgment  of  the  court  should  not  now  be 
pronounced  upon  you?"  said  the  judge. 

"No,  sir,"  replied  the  prisoner. 

"By  the  laws  of  this  Territory,  you  are  per- 
mitted to  choose  the  manner  by  which  you  be 
brought  to  your  death,  either  hanging  by  the  neck 
or  by  shooting.  Which  do  you  prefer?" 

"I  prefer  to  be  shot,  sir." 

The  judgment  of  the  court  is  that  you  be  con- 
fined in  this  jail  in  the  custody  of  the  sheriff  of 
this  county  until  August  — ,  at  which  time  you 
will  be  taken  to  some  convenient  place  and  there 
shot  until  you  are  dead.  And  may  God  Almighty 
have  mercy  on  your  soul !" 

"Thank  you,  sir,"  said  the  culprit. 

When  we  saw  the  condemned  stand  before  that 
mild-mannered  little  man  from  West  Virginia  our 
attention  was  fixed  on  him ;  but  when  we  heard  a 
speech  so  short  and  so  terrible  in  its  extension, 
we  naturally  looked  on  the  speaker.  He  seemed 
to  have  the  power  of  life  or  death  in  his  posses- 
sion. We  then  beheld  the  men. 

I  would  call  your  attention  to  the  men  in  this 
case — Jesus  and  Pilate.  Here  are  two  who  are 
in  some  respects  similar.  The  bloody  Koman 
and  the  bleeding  Jew  are  facing  each  other.  Pi- 
late is  said  to  have  been  compelled  hastily  to 
leave  sunny  Italy  because  of  his  desire  to  escape 
the  avenger  of  blood,  he  having  committed  the 
crime  of  murder  there.  His  hands  were  imbrued 
with  the  blood  of  vengeance — blood  not  his  own. 


196       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

Jesus  has  his  hands  covered  with  blood,  but  it  is 
his  own;  blood  that  is  flowing  for  the  sins  of 
others,  and  not  for  revenge. 

As  in  the  case  of  his  burial  and  the  fixing  of 
the  guard,  church  and  state,  never  a  very  holy 
alliance,  are  perfectly  united  as  to  purpose:  that 
of  destroying  Jesus.  In  this  instance  the  elements 
of  mercy  are  on  the  side  of  the  state  and  Pilate. 

In  all  historical  times  it  has  been  required  of 
the  accused  that  he  stand  for  sentence,  so  that 
the  people  could  see  the  one  on  whom  their  own 
law  was  about  to  wreak  punishment.  So  Jesus 
stood.  The  judge  was  hesitating.  Should  he,  or 
should  he  not?  Would  he,  or  would  he  not? 
Now  the  balances  swing  downward,  the  one  carry- 
ing Jesus  in  the  mind  of  his  judge.  "I  will  loose 
him  and  let  him  go,"  mentally  spoke  he. 

"If  you  release  him  you  are  no  friend  of  Caesar, 
and  we  shall  inform  on  you,"  yelled  the  mob. 

While  thus  hesitating  a  servant  thrust  a  wax- 
tablet  note  into  the  hand  of  Pilate,  who  reading 
it,  threw  it  from  him  and  said  sotto  voce,  "Curse 
the  woman !  why  does  she  not  attend  to  her  own 
affairs  and  let  me  alone?" 

It  was  a  kindly  and  womanly  warning  from  his 
wife  saying,  "Have  thou  nothing  to  do  with  that 
just  man:  for  I  have  suffered  many  things  this 
day  in  a  dream  because  of  him."  Pilate  is  not  the 
last  man  who  rejected  the  timely  and  wise  advice 
of  a  careful  wife  and  went  to  oblivion  because  of 
it.  It  were  mere  speculation  to  say  that  possibly 


BEHOLD  THE  MAN!  197 

Pilate  may  have  had  a  feeling  that  at  some  future 
place  the  positions  of  himself  and  his  Lord  would 
be  reversed. 

But  behold  the  spectacle!  Pilate  represented 
the  Koman  empire  that  arrogated  to  itself  all 
power  on  earth.  He  was  about  to  exercise  that 
power.  Jesus  had  all  power  in  heaven  and  on 
earth.  He  knew  it  but  permitted  Rome  to  have 
her  day.  But  Pilate  had  some  rights.  Was  he 
not  sent  to  care  for  the  interests  of  the  Roman 
empire?  Had  not  the  Jews  been  troublesome? 

Was  it  not  his  oath  to  rule  righteously  and  give 
special  attention  to  the  zealous  machinations  of 
the  Hebrews  and  to  keep  them  in  check?  There 
had  already  risen  many  who  called  themselves 
Christ.  He  was  not  a  theologian  or  a  worshiper 
of  Jehovah,  but  a  student  of  history,  possibly. 
Pilate  was  representative  of  universal  Rome,  yet 
by  his  own  recorded  utterances  he  was  a  coward. 
We  do  not  condemn  him;  he  does  it  unaided  by 
us.  He  sentenced  to  death  the  man  he  proclaimed 
innocent. 

Good-by,  Pilate;  we  shall  see  you  no  more  till 
we  all  appear  before  this  same  majestic  Culprit 
who  now  stands  unabashed  before  your  tribunal. 
You  shall  look  on  him  whom  you  pierced,  and  yet 
he  would  have  had  mercy  on  you  had  you  but 
asked  it.  But  you  find,  Pilate,  it  is  always  harder 
to  forgive  those  whom  you  wrong  than  those  who 
wrong  you.  He  is  the  final  Judge — and  "the 
judge  of  all  the  earth  will  do  right." 


198       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

We  will  now  take  the  advice  of  the  self-con- 
victed Koman,  Pilate.  We  will  "behold  the  man." 

We  see  "a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with 
grief."  What  a  complete  man !  Has  his  like  ever 
been  seen  outside  the  arena  where  athletes  con- 
tended? His  is  the  perfect  physique,  tanned  by 
outdoor  living,  and  the  fully  developed  body  and 
limbs  show  one  accustomed  to  steady  toil.  It  is 
no  wonder  the  money-changers  fled  before  him 
armed  with  but  a  twist  of  ropes.  He  was  able  to 
tie  them  in  knots  and  throw  them  out  bodily. 
His  is  no  emaciated,  anemic  face  and  effemi- 
nized  form  such  as  is  often  displayed  on  the  walls 
of  our  homes.  His  is  the  majesty  of  perfection 
in  all  things  becoming  a  man.  He  has  never 
sinned  against  nature. 

That  mighty  young  giant  stood  there  with 
hands  tied;  fingers  stiffened  and  swollen  were 
covered  with  the  blood  that  had  spattered  down 
upon  them  from  the  crown  of  thorns,  and  the 
blackened  clots  in  some  places  still  clung  to  his 
beard  and  clothing.  Those  hands  that  had  been 
used  always  to  spread  abroad  in  welcome  to  the 
children  and  the  helpless  feeble  folk  were  soon  to 
be  spread  again  but  wider  apart  on  the  cross.  We 
see  that  eye  that  gazed  on  Pilate,  till  the  man 
haunted  by  it  was  driven  to  suicide,  now  the 
calmest  in  that  turbid  multitude.  He  is  really 
and  truly  Lord  of  all. 

When  we  "behold  the  man"  we  see  the  Maker 
of  the  universe.  "By  him  were  all  things  made; 


BEHOLD  THE  MAN!  199 

and  without  him  was  not  anything  made  that 
was  made."  If  Maker  of  all,  he  is  not  a  product. 
It  is  said  by  some  that  he  can  be  accounted  for 
as  being  the  product  of  the  times.  Mirabile  dictu! 
Why  have  the  times  produced  no  others  like  him  ? 
By  the  story  of  evolution,  there  ought  to  have 
been  many  more  as  good  and  even  better  by  this 
time.  But  one  prominent  writer  and  churchman 
says,  "We  need  not  to  be  afraid  to  say  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  supreme  product  of  evolution  in 
human  history"  (see  Theology  of  an  Evolutionist, 
p.  74,  Lyman  Abbott).  Saint  John  was  not  so 
wise;  Saint  Paul  was  limited  as  to  that  knowl- 
edge, for  both  affirmed  him  Creator  of  all!  Yes, 
he  is  the  Maker  of  all ;  he  is  God,  for  Saint  Paul's 
shortest  description  of  him  is  in  these  words: 
"God  was  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  unto 
himself"  (2  Cor.  5.  19).  "God  manifest  in  the 
flesh"  is  what  Jesus  was  when  on  earth. 

In  him  we  see  the  "friend  of  sinners" — the 
epithet  the  rabble  thought  the  strongest  when 
they  reported  his  conduct  to  the  disciples,  for 
whom  they  were  acting  as  self-appointed  spies. 
That  was  the  finest  speech  the  would-be  malignera 
of  his  character  ever  made.  He  is  the  only  Friend 
sinners  ever  had.  When  he  sat  at  the  table  and 
ate  with  the  people,  sharing  their  bread,  he  was 
their  committed  Friend  ever  afterward;  and  "if 
any  man  sin,  we  have  an  Advocate  with  the 
Father,  Jesus  Christ  the  righteous." 

When  fc$  went  through  the  streets  the  children, 


200       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

fresh  from  their  mud  pies  and  dirt,  common  or 
uncommon,  were  taken  gladly  into  his  arms  and 
blest.  Though  scolded  doubtless  by  the  stern  dis- 
ciples, yet  he  hesitated  never  a  whit  but  chided 
them  and  counseled  them  to  become  themselves 
childlike.  Ever  since  then  he  has  been  going  up 
and  down  the  vile  ways  and  the  wild  ways,  where 
unclean  men  and  women  are  to  be  found,  calling 
all  to  him;  he  receives  all  just  as  they  are,  em- 
bracing and  holding  them  till  all  uncleanness  is 
gone  and  until  the  wayward  heart  beats  in  har- 
mony with  his  own,  and  until  their  sins  are  trans- 
ferred to  him.  Then  he  says  "Go,  and  sin  no 
more."  Thus  it  was  he  was  called  the  friend  of 
sinners,  and  as  a  blasphemer  was  put  to  death 
"bearing  our  sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree." 
"He  was  made  sin  who  knew  no  sin."  "By  his 
stripes  we  are  healed."  Behold  him,  your 
Saviour!  Behold  the  Man  of  Sorrows!  him  who 
knows  how  to  sympathize  with  any  heartbroken 
soul !  Behold  the  Maker  of  the  universe  with  its 
all!  Behold  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth,  and  see 
for  the  nonce  the  mildness  and  at  once  the  just- 
ness of  the  Son  of  man  and  Son  of  God !  Behold 
him,  the  Friend  of  sinners  wistfully  looking  for 
them  and  looking  out  for  them,  ready  to  defend, 
forgive  and  save!  Look  on  him  enthroned  in 
glory,  the  King  of  all  the  earth,  before  whom  all 
nations  shall  be  gathered,  and  to  whom  the 
highest  angels  must  make  obeisance,  and  yet  who 
shall  choose  us  as  a  jury  to  sit  on  the  case  of  the 


BEHOLD  THE  MAN!  201 

angels  who  once  rebelled.     Thus  shall  we  share 
his  glory. 

Behold  him,  your  Saviour!    Behold  the  Man! 

Majestic  beauty  sits  enthroned 

Upon  the  Saviour's  brow; 
His  head  with  radiant  glories  crowned, 

His  lips  with  grace  o'erflow. 

He  saw  me  plunged  in  deep  despair; 

He  flew  to  my  relief; 
For  me  he  bore  the  painful  cross 

And  carried  all  my  grief. 

To  him  I  owe  my  lite  and  breath 

And  all  the  joys  I  have; 
He  makes  me  triumph  over  death, 

He  saves  me  from  the  grave. 

Since  from  his  bounty  I  receive 

Such  proofs  of  love  divine, 
Had  I  a  thousand  hearts  to  give, 

Lord,  they  should  all  be  thine. 


WILSIE  MANNING  MAETIN 

FIRST  CHURCH,  BOISE,  IDAHO 

Wilsie  M.  Martin  was  born  in  Johnsville, 
Canada,  November  12,  1876,  and  moved  with  hjs 
parents  to  Santa  Ana,  California.  He  graduated 
from  the  University  of  California  in  1900  with  the 
degree  of  B.A.,  having  been  senior  class  president 
and  member  of  four  university  debating  teams. 
In  September,  1900,  he  entered  the  California 
Conference  and  was  stationed  at  Oak  Park,  Sacra- 
mento in  1900-1901;  was  assistant  pastor  First 
Church,  Oakland,  1901-1902;  he  attended  Drew 
Theological  Seminary  1902-1903,  and  while  here 
served  as  assistant  pastor  of  Madison  Avenue 
Church,  New  York  City,  and  in  the  summer  sup- 
plied Hanson  Place  Church,  Brooklyn.  He  served 
First  Church,  Chico,  California,  1903-1905;  First 
Church,  Alameda,  1905-1912,  and  now  is  serving 
his  third  year  as  pastor  of  the  First  Church, 
Boise,  Idaho,  it  being  the  largest  in  the  Idaho 
Conference.  He  is  also  the  chaplain  of  the  Second 
Infantry  Idaho  National  Guard. 


2Q2 


THE  GIFT-BKINGER 

WILSIE  MANNING  MARTIN 

"For  unto  us  a  child  is  born,  unto  us  a  son  is  given: 
and  the  government  shall  be  upon  his  shoulder:  and 
his  name  shall  be  called  Wonderful,  Counselor,  The 
mighty  God,  The  everlasting  Father,  The  Prince  of 
Peace." — Isa.  9.  6. 

WELL  might  they  call  the  Babe  in  the  manger 
wonderful.  Wonderful  because  of  what  he  was 
and  what  he  was  to  do.  We  are  surprised  at  the 
deeds  when  we  know  the  life,  and  we  demand  such 
a  life  to  explain  the  deeds.  He  not  only  marks 
the  difference;  he  is  the  difference.  There  are 
plenty  of  men  in  the  world  who  know  that  things 
are  different  who  have  never  acknowledged  the 
cause  of  it.  He  is  the  watershed  that  feeds  the 
rivers  that  change  the  deserts  into  gardens.  He 
is  the  Gulf  Stream  that  has  touched  the  arctic 
shores  of  time  and  is  wooing  them  into  beauty. 
He  is  the  sun  at  whose  coming  the  darkness  flees, 
the  mists  melt,  the  chill  and  frost  disappear.  He 
has  become  the  Counselor  of  man,  the  shaper  of 
government,  and  his  kingdom  is  a  kingdom  with- 
out frontiers. 

What  has  Christ  brought  that  is  new? 
203 


204       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

First.  The  thought  that  we  are  all  related. 
In  a  world  seamed  with  race,  class,  and  religious 
distinction  this  was  a  tremendous  gift.  Elec- 
tricity had  been  always  in  the  world,  man  had 
felt  its  power,  described  some  of  its  features,  but 
the  man  who  really  discovered  electricity  was  the 
man  who  harnessed  it,  made  it  work.  It  may  l>e 
that  some  nebulous  ideas  similar  to  those  of 
Jesus  may  be  found  or  read  into  the  sayings  of 
ancient  men.  The  point  is  that  Jesus  made  them 
work.  The  practical  thing  for  us  to  realize  is  that 
the  world  was  cut  up  into  little  provinces,  cities, 
and  counties,  each  distrustful,  suspicious,  hostile 
toward  the  others ;  the  fact  is  that  life  was  cut  up 
into  great  social  distinctions  that  could  not  be 
bridged.  The  fact  is  when  Jesus  came  there  was 
some  race  solidarity,  but  there  was  nowhere  any 
sense  of  real  brotherhood.  Now  Jesus  made  this 
truth — that  we  are  related — to  work.  He  made 
it  operate  in  his  own  first  group  of  disciples. 
Rich  and  poor,  pharisees  and  publicans,  found 
in  him  the  center  of  their  life,  and  through  him 
they  became  friends  and  brothers  to  each  other. 
He  made  it  work  when  they  opened  the  doors  of 
fellowship  to  the  Gentiles.  He  made  it  work 
when  Philemon  and  Onesimus,  owner  and  slave, 
could  both  be  members  of  the  same  spiritual 
brotherhood.  "In  Jesus  Christ  there  is  neither 
Jew  nor  Greek."  It  is  this  truth  made  vital 
through  Jesus  that  is  breaking  down  the  antago- 
nisms between  men  and  sections.  In  widening 


THE  GIFT-BRINGER  205 

circles  the  force  of  it  becomes  apparent.  In  many 
lines  we  have  to  realize  that  we  are  members  one 
of  another.  More  and  more  the  brotherhood  idea 
and  the  brotherhood  spirit  grows  upon  the  world ; 
increasing  numbers  of  men  are  espousing  the  idea 
and  assuming  the  obligations.  Trade  already 
knows  no  color  line  and  no  race  prejudice.  We 
sell  in  every  market.  We  have  come  to  see  that 
chemistry,  expressing  God's  law,  is  no  respecter 
of  persons,  that  there  is  not  one  truth  for  China 
and  another  for  Canada.  We  have  come  far 
under  the  drive  of  the  truth  of  Jesus  Christ  in 
recognizing  the  essential  solidarity  of  the  human 
race. 

The  basis  of  brotherhood  is  spiritual.  Material- 
ism has  no  ground  for  brotherhood.  For  a  thou- 
sand years  by  the  short  sword  and  the  javelin 
Rome  kept  the  peace  of  the  world,  but  it  was  not 
brotherhood.  It  was  the  domination  of  brute 
force.  Self-interest  may  induce  us  for  a  time  to 
play  fair,  but  only  for  a  time.  The  basis  of  in- 
tegrity must  lie  deeper  than  the  dollar.  A  real 
gentleman  is  not  the  product  of  calculation,  but 
of  the  outflowing  of  a  knightly,  chivalrous,  gentle 
spirit.  Materialism  never  has  and  never  can  bring 
the  race  together  into  a  unity.  We  come  from 
different  climes,  we  are  of  different  races,  with 
different  customs  and  products;  we  differ  in 
habits.  The  Korean  shakes  his  own  hand,  and 
makes  his  display  in  the  backyard,  and  reads  up 
and  down  and  from  right  to  left.  We  differ  in 


206       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

color  and  language;  we  differ  in  talent  and 
ability ;  we  face  different  opportunities.  The  only 
realm  where  we  can  get  together  is  in  the  realm 
of  spirit.  Courage  is  of  no  particular  soil,  honor 
appears  in  every  clime,  love  glows  in  every  breast. 
We  differ  and  shall  differ  in  the  perishables,  in 
the  non-essentials ;  it  is  only  in  the  imperishables, 
in  the  essentials  of  faith,  heroism,  patience,  love, 
that  we  are  alike. 

Likeness  indicates  relationship,  but  it  does  not 
establish  brotherhood.  How  comes  it  that  we  are 
alike  in  those  fundamentals?  How  do  you  know 
you  are  brothers?  By  reason  of  a  common  origin. 
The  Hindu  was  right  when  he  proposed  fo  open 
the  Parliament  of  Religions  with  the  Lord's 
Prayer.  "Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven" — there 
we  are  one.  There  we  find  ground  for  our  brother- 
hood. We  are  related  through  our  divine  quali- 
ties, not  through  our  animal  appetencies.  A 
multitude  of  blessings  flow  from  this  conscious- 
ness that  we  are  related,  but  we  find  that  rela- 
tionship in  God.  The  greatest  gift  that  Jesus 
made  to  the  world  was  the  unveiling  of  God,  the 
Holy  Father. 

In  Jesus  Christ  the  manifestation  of  the  Father, 
men  are  brothers;  in  him  East  and  West  come 
together ;  in  him  the  estranged  classes  find  a  com- 
mon fellowship.  A  son  of  poverty,  a  son  of  the 
down-trodden,  a  son  of  heavy  labor,  he  marks 
the  common  road  to  God.  He  did  the  will  of  his 
Father.  The  road  to  God,  the  royal  road,  the 


THE  GIFT-BRINGER  207 

common  road,  a  road  so  plain  a  fool  need  not  err 
therein,  is  doing  the  will  of  God. 

The  will  of  the  Father  is  the  law  of  home.  The 
law  of  the  world  is  the  will  of  God.  The  law  of 
successful  life  is  the  will  of  the  eternal  One.  Life 
consists  in  being  in  harmony  with  God.  My 
highest  well-being  consists  in  my  life  moving  ac- 
cording to  the  divine  plan.  The  awful  thing 
about  sin  is  that  it  is  unfilial  treachery  and  rea- 
son. It  is  a  revolt  against  the  divine  will. 

What  is  the  great  common  task  of  all — the 
mark  of  brotherhood?  Why,  doing  the  will  of 
God.  That  is  the  noblest  thing  we  can  do  and 
it  is  the  one  common  thing  we  can  do.  If  any 
man  will  do  the  will  of  God,  the  same,  said  Jesus, 
is  my  brother,  my  sister,  my  mother.  When  will 
wars  cease  ?  When  men  do  the  will  of  God.  When 
will  the  vices  that  curse  humanity  end?  When 
men  do  the  will  of  God.  When  will  wrong  come 
down  from  the  throne  and  mount  the  scaffold? 
When  men  do  the  will  of  God.  When  will  there 
be  no  more  poverty,  no  more  destitution,  no  more 
child  labor?  When  the  will  of  God  is  done  by 
men.  When  will  the  blessed  song  of  the  angels 
come  true?  When  men  everywhere  do  the  will 
of  God.  I  heartily  agree  with  President  Nicholas 
Murray  Butler  that  we  need  to  emphasize  our 
oneness  with  the  race.  The  way  to  do  it  is 
through  a  common  spiritual  consciousness  and  a 
united  effort  to  do  the  holy  will  of  God. 
Second.  A  new  attitude  toward  work.  In  a 


208       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

general  way  work  had  been  regarded  as  a  curse, 
as  a  mark  of  inferiority,  a  badge  of  slavery.  It 
was  a  conception  held  generally  that  slaves  were 
for  work.  Now  Jesus  taught  that  work  is  a  bless- 
ing and  not  a  curse;  that  to  be  able  to  do  and  to 
do  are  the  marks  of  superiority.  He  revealed  in 
work  the  divine  possibility.  He  said,  "I  must 
work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me,  while  it  is 
day."  And  on  another  occasion  he  said,  "My 
Father  worketh  hitherto,  and  I  work."  When  he 
thus  identified  work  with  the  divine  thought  and 
the  divine  process  and  the  divine  life,  it  could  no 
longer  be  menial  and  slavish;  it  became  an  in- 
strument of  self-expression  and  enfranchisement. 
Further,  the  world  now  says,  "Blessed  is  he  who 
labors  long;  blessed  is  he  who  does  much  both 
as  regards  amount  and  quality."  But  Jesus 
says :  "Blessed  is  he  that  is  faithful."  That  places 
the  emphasis  over  on  the  spiritual  side  of  labor. 
That  gives  every  man  a  fair  chance.  Human  life 
is  full  of  inequalities.  Keats  dies  at  the  age  of 
twenty-six;  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  at  eighty- 
three.  Alexander  Hamilton  dies  in  the  full  tide 
of  a  great  career.  Gladstone  when  he  is  over 
ninety.  Whitefield  dies  in  middle  life;  Wesley 
an  octogenarian.  There  is  a  great  deal  in  having 
an  opportunity.  Some  men  never  have  a  full 
chance.  All  they  have  is  an  eleventh-hour  oppor- 
tunity. As  great  men  as  the  world  has  ever  seen 
have  died  unsung  because  they  never  had  a  big 
opening.  But  for  the  French  War  and  the  Revolu- 


THE  GIFT-BRINGER  209 

tion,  Washington  would  have  lived  and  died  a 
genial,  successful  country  squire.  I  am  reading 
Ragged  Trousered  Philanthropists,  written  by  a 
painter  who  left  this  manuscript  and  died.  The 
man  has  the  vividness  of  a  Zola  and  the  feeling 
of  a  Hugo.  What  might  he  have  done  had  he  but 
had  a  fair  chance?  What  might  Robert  Burns 
have  done  if  he  had  had  an  inspiring  environ- 
ment. 

Then  there  are  others  who  seemingly  have  as 
good  openings  as  their  fellows,  but  they  are 
duller  and  slower.  They  are  forever  trying  and 
never  quite  reaching  the  goal.  They  are  always 
on  the  second  elevens.  They  are  good  enough  to 
be  privates  but  nothing  more.  Professor  Smith 
points  out  that  there  are  three  parables  of  Jesus 
which  illustrate  how  God  regards  men.  First,  the 
parable  where  men  receive  five,  two,  and  one  talent. 
He  gave  precisely  the  same  commendation — "Thou 
hast  been  faithful  over  a  few  things."  Here  we 
have  equality  of  reward  where  there  is  inequality 
of  ability.  Second,  the  parable  of  the  men  who 
were  hired  at  the  eleventh  hour.  The  eleventh- 
hour  men  had  been  standing  waiting  for  an  op- 
portunity to  work.  They  seized  it  when  it  came, 
and  they  received  equal  pay — justifying  equal  re- 
ward where  the  opportunity  is  unequal.  Third, 
there  is  the  parable  of  the  talents  which  gathers 
up  the  ideas  of  the  other  two.  Each  man  was 
given  one  talent — same  ability,  same  opportunity. 
These  are  rewarded  according  to  their  devotion. 


210       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

The  divine  rewards  are  to  be  according  to  fidelity. 
What  a  new  face  that  puts  on  life!  Perhaps  as 
men  see  it  you  have  never  done  much,  but  as  God 
sees  it  your  little  may  be  as  precious  in  fidelity 
as  another  man's  great  success.  Perhaps  oppor- 
tunity has  given  you  a  niggardly  chance,  but  you 
have  been  as  true  as  though  you  had  a  king's  em- 
pire. Here  I  labor  in  a  little  corner,  and  it  is 
stony  and  bare  and  bleak,  but  then  I  am  to  be 
measured  only  by  the  spirit  I  put  into  it.  The 
seer  of  Patmos  was  expressing  the  idea  of  Jesus 
when  he  said  the  faithful  have  a  right  to  the  city 
eternal. 

Third.  Among  the  gifts  that  Jesus  brought 
was  a  continual  sense  of  freshness.  One  of  the 
sad  things  in  the  world  in  the  time  of  Jesus  was 
its  sense  of  weariness,  its  spirit  of  ennui ;  and  out 
of  these  had  grown  a  lack  of  fidelity,  a  decrease 
in  buoyancy,  a  retrogression,  and  decadence. 
After  men  had  filled  every  place  of  power  and  had 
grown  wise  with  knowledge,  they  exclaimed, 
"Both  knowledge  and  power  are  vanity."  But 
Jesus  brought  to  the  world,  by  the  widening  of 
horizons,  by  the  lifting  up  of  the  spirit,  by  the 
propulsion  of  new  impulses,  a  sense  of  freshness 
and  of  buoyancy.  With  goals  unreached  and  with 
lights  gleaming  ahead,  there  could  be  no  sense  of 
having  arrived.  And  so  life  under  the  power  of 
Jesus  became  full  of  striving;  it  was  possessed 
of  the  spirit  of  going  on;  it  was  animated  with 
the  thought  that  the  best  was  yet  to  come.  He 


THE  GIFT-BRIHGEH 


led  man  to  find  every  morning  new  beauty  and 
new  significance  in  all  the  common  incidents  of 
the  way. 

O  fly  away  on  silent  wing,  ye  boding  owls  of  night. 
O  welcome  little  birds  that  sing  the  coming  in  of 

light. 

For  new  and  new  and  ever  new, 
The  golden  bud  within  the  blue, 
And  every  morning  seems  to  say, 
"There's  something  happy  on  the  way, 
And  God  sends  love  to  you." 

Fourth.  The  emphasizing  and  lifting  up  of  per- 
sonality. In  the  first  place  Jesus  was  not  an  idea, 
a  sentiment,  an  influence.  He  was  a  person.  He 
was  born  in  Bethlehem.  He  grew,  he  toiled,  he 
ministered,  he  agonized  on  the  cross.  He  was, 
he  is,  and  he  is  evermore  to  be  Jesus  the  Christ. 
The  record  indicates  that  he  was  a  most  original 
and  marvelous  personality.  As  a  boy,  he  amazes 
the  wise  men  in  the  temple.  The  great  desert 
preacher,  when  he  sees  him  sitting  by  the  Jordan, 
says,  "Behold  the  Lamb  of  God."  He  says  again 
—  and  Jesus  had  not  yet  begun  his  ministry  —  "He 
must  increase;  I  must  decrease."  Single-handed, 
Jesus  nonplussed  and  overawed  the  Pharisees. 
His  sight  and  voice  struck  hardened  soldiers  with 
consternation,  his  presence  attracted  mighty 
crowds.  Standing  alone,  buffeted,  accused,  he 
puts  the  proconsul  on  trial.  At  his  word  men 
left  all  to  walk  the  way  of  persecution.  A  won- 


212       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

derful  personality  gleams  through  the  record. 
The  measure  of  a  man's  personality  is  the  impress 
he  leaves  on  the  world.  The  character  of  Christ 
grows  more  attractive.  His  teachings  are  more 
followed,  his  star  of  power  rises  constantly.  Of 
all  the  mighty  personalities  who  have  left  their 
impress  on  time  his  is  the  mightiest.  He  was  a 
personality.  He  was  a  Person. 

In  the  second  place  he  emphasized  personality. 
He  said  he  knew  his  sheep  by  name.  He  did  not 
speak  to  audiences,  he  spoke  to  living  men.  He 
valued  institutions,  but  he  valued  men  more.  He 
reverenced  the  Sabbath,  but  it  was  not  too  holy 
to  prevent  doing  good.  It  was  made  for  men,  he 
said.  Sometimes  as  he  spoke  to  groups  he  spoke 
straight  home  to  single  men.  Many  might  throng 
about  him,  but  let  one  hand  of  faith  be  stretched 
forth  ever  so  quietly,  he  knew.  What  respect  he 
manifested  always  for  personality  is  shown  in  the 
story  of  the  woman  who  was  a  sinner.  Jesus 
never  blurred  any  man's  life,  but  after  contact 
with  him  that  life  stood  out  naked  and  clear. 
According  to  the  teaching  of  Jesus,  every  man  is 
an  eternal  somewhat.  None  are  common  or  un- 
clean. Each  one  is  to  be  reckoned  by  himself. 
What  was  the  curse  of  Jesus's  day?  Impersonal- 
ism.  God  was  an  abstraction.  Man  was  reckoned 
by  the  herd.  The  mass  of  the  people  were  only 
pawns  and  tools,  instruments  to  be  used  and  cast 
aside.  Religion  was  cold,  mechanical,  and  im- 
personal. 


THE  GIFT-BRINGER  213 

What  a  change  Jesus  has  wrought!  We  are 
lacking  here  yet,  as  I  shall  point  out,  but  the 
whole  worth-while  drift  of  life  is  to  personalize 
relationships.  That  is  the  meaning  of  democracy, 
of  the  feminist  movement,  of  the  crusade  against 
child  labor.  The  striking  off  the  chains  of  slaves, 
the  amelioration  of  prisons  have  come  because 
of  a  new  regard  for  the  person.  Jesus  saw  in 
every  man  the  image  of  the  divine.  He  saw  in 
every  man  an  immortal  spirit.  He  saw  in  every 
sin-cursed  life  something  of  infinite  sweetness. 

In  the  third  place,  if  he  personalized  man,  he 
likewise  personalized  God.  It  was  not  the  divine 
nor  the  unknown,  nor  the  eternal  force,  nor  the 
divine  something,  nor  the  power  that  makes  for 
righteousness.  It  was  God,  the  Father — my 
Father.  The  danger  of  our  day  is  that  we  shall 
not  emphasize  this  truth  of  Jesus.  The  danger 
in  religion  is  impersonalism.  God  is  but  a  misty 
power,  an  unknowable  force  for  righteousness. 
He  is  but  a  generalization,  whose  chief  virtue  is 
that  it  is  capitalized— The  Good,  The  Truth,  The 
All. 

In  reform  we  are  eager  for  mass  movements, 
forgetting  that  lasting  reforms  are  ever  personal. 
Impersonal  charity  is  as  unsatisfactory  as  it  is 
icy.  The  menace  in  all  relationships  is  that  they 
are  impersonal.  The  minister  who  preaches  to 
audiences  and  not  to  living  folks  needs  a  new 
baptism.  The  curer  of  souls  must  be  gifted  with 
the  power  of  dealing  in  a  personal  way  with  every 


214       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

soul.  The  doctor  who  sees  only  cases  may  be  very 
skillful,  but  he  is  not  the  kind  of  man  you  want 
when  your  child  is  ill.  Is  not  impersonalism  one 
of  the  main  causes  of  the  friction  between  labor 
and  capital?  Men  work  for  employers  that  they 
do  not  know,  and  other  men  draw  dividends  from 
the  toil  of  workers  they  have  never  seen,  let  alone 
known.  Do  not  the  evils  of  the  world  arise  very 
largely  from  impersonalism?  Do  you  think  that 
a  man  who  had  a  vivid  sense  of  the  personal  worth 
of  a  life  could  debauch  that  life  with  drink?  It 
is  because  we  value  the  person  as  of  less  worth 
than  revenue  or  delight  in  satisfaction  that  we 
can  make  him  the  victim  of  our  greed  or  our  pas- 
sions. Too  often  women  and  men  who  call  them- 
selves by  the  name  of  Christ  treat  those  who  serve 
them  as  if  we  were  automatons. 

The  only  remedy  for  this  is  the  vital  thought 
of  Jesus — the  emphasis  of  personality.  The 
highest  truth  is  personal,  the  Omnipotent  must 
be  a  personality ;  God  is  not  a  shadow  nor  a  mist, 
he  is  our  Father.  In  all  our  dealings  we  need  to 
remember  that  each  individual  is  a  living  life. 

Fifth.  Christ  made  another  new  contribution 
to  the  world  when  he  enthroned  character.  Men 
had  said  wealth  is  the  great  thing,  therefore  get 
wealth.  Other  men  had  said  power  is  the  essen- 
tial thing,  therefore  get  power.  Others  had  made 
fame  the  goal  of  striving.  Plato  had  said  that 
culture  was  the  chief  good.  But  Jesus  exalted 
character  as  the  one  supreme  thing.  The  only 


THE  GIFT-BRINGER  215 

thing  that  abides  is  character.  It  outlasts  the 
bronze  of  power  and  the  marble  of  fame.  He 
created  a  passion  for  personal  righteousness.  He 
made  religion  the  symbol  of  purity,  the  exponent 
of  moral  clearness.  He  saw  what  man  might 
be;  then  he  said,  "That  best  man  you  are  to  be." 
He  furnished  a  life  of  sinlessness  as  an  ideal  for 
men.  He  refused  to  accept  ethical  shortcomings. 
He  recognized  no  moral  limitations.  He 
stretched  before  men's  minds  a  divine  goal  of 
perfection  and  then  bade  them  climb  toward  that. 
Hitherto  the  chief  figures  on  the  stage  of  time 
had  been  the  soldier,  the  scholar,  the  statesman, 
the  successful.  Jesus  introduced  a  new  figure. 
He  made  sainthood  the  noblest  object  of  human 
striving. 

Sixth.  He  came  enabling  men  to  be  good  and 
to  grow  better.  He  so  empowers  that  lad  there 
that  he  comes  to  manhood  with  a  heart  of  purity, 
with  the  vital  forces  at  the  floodtide.  He  so  sus- 
tains and  reenforces  that  lad  that  all  the  while 
his  life  grows  in  beauty  and  power  and  worth. 
That  is  the  great  miracle,  the  bringing  forth  the 
divine  within  us,  the  causing  the  real  man  to 
emerge.  Further,  he  lays  those  pierced  hands  of 
suffering  and  of  service  on  the  wasted  life,  that 
driftwood  piece  of  humanity,  and  lo!  a  trans- 
formation is  effected.  The  bleared  and  hardened 
face  is  softened  with  the  beauty,  of  holy  striving. 
The  foul  speech  is  replaced  with  hymns  of  praise. 
The  crooked  methods  are  made  fair  and  open. 


216       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

The  besotted  habits  are  swept  away  and  in  their 
stead  there  is  purity  and  moral  earnestness.  No 
other  power  in  the  world  is  able  to  change  the 
leopard's  spots.  That  is  the  gift  of  Jesus — "power 
to  become  the  sons  of  God." 

Seventh.  For  ages  men  had  dreamed  of  the 
life  to  be.  In  the  light  of  that  hope  they  had  lain 
down  to  rest  and  had  gone  forth  to  toil.  It  had 
been  a  glorious  dream.  But  many  times  they  had 
yearned  to  know  if  the  dream  were  true.  Some- 
times this  hope  took  the  form  of  gross  resurrec- 
tion, sometimes  of  race  or  memory  immortality. 
"God  had  hidden  eternity  in  men's  hearts."  It 
was  a  hope,  an  aspiration,  but  nothing  more.  It 
is  a  truth  too  deep  for  Plato's  logic  or  Job's  un- 
folding. Only  God  could  do  that.  Jesus  lifts 
the  life-to-be  up  from  aspiration  to  certainty. 
He  makes  it  real.  Once  men  hoped  it  might  be 
so.  He  makes  us  sure  of  it.  Through  him  we 
see  the  shore  lines  of  that  immortal  continent 
and  know  "that  if  this  earthly  house  of  this 
tabernacle  be  dissolved,  we  have  a  building  of 
God,  a  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the 
heavens."  This  gift  of  certainty  has  broken  the 
bars  of  darkness,  lifted  the  clouds  of  grief, 
solaced  the  mourning,  and  comforted  the  dying. 
It  has  planted  immortal  blooms  on  the  graves  of 
our  dead,  it  has  given  life,  meaning,  and  glory,  it 
has  crowned  the  lips  with  laughter  and  filled  the 
heart  with  singing. 

Finally.    Christ  taught  a  new  law  of  happiness. 


THE  GIFT-BRINGER  217 

The  way  to  be  happy,  some  had  said,  is  to  be  idle. 
Some  said  the  way  to  be  happy  is  to  have  much ; 
the  key  to  joy  is  possession.  Others  said  he  alone 
is  happy  who  is  crowned  with  the  laurel  of  suc- 
cess, he  alone  is  happy  who  wears  the  chaplet  of 
fame  and  honor.  Some  said  pleasure  is  the  god- 
dess of  happiness ;  she  guards  the  garden  of  bliss 
— woo  her.  But  the  seekers  of  happiness  found 
her  not  in  idleness,  nor  in  possession,  neither  in 
the  fading  laurel,  nor  in  the  drooping  flowers  of 
pleasure.  "If  ye  would  be  happy,"  said  Jesus, 
"serve."  Every  cup  of  water  given  in  love  gives 
back  a  blessing  to  the  giver.  "Except  a  corn  of 
wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die,  it  abideth 
alone."  The  way  of  the  cross  is  the  way  of  joy. 
The  rose  of  happiness  grows  only  in  the  garden 
of  service ;  the  fragrant  flowers  of  peace  are  found 
only  in  the  way  of  kindness;  heart's  ease  is 
granted  to  those  alone  who  lift  up  and  help.  The 
men  whose  days  are  sun-kissed,  joy-filled,  the  men 
of  the  glad  heart  are  the  men  who  follow  their 
Lord  in  service. 

From  these  truths,  that  Christ  has  made  to 
grip  the  lives  and  consciences  of  men,  have  flowed 
incalculable  blessings.  The  mind  has  been  en- 
franchised and  from  the  enfranchised  mind  has 
come  every  form  of  industrial  and  commercial 
progress,  every  comfort  and  modern  convenience. 
The  ills  that  curse  have  been  lifted  or  are  in 
progress  of  being  lifted;  manhood  has  been 
liberated,  woman  set  free,  childhood  recognized. 


218       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

Freedom,  education,  opportunity,  a  sense  of  obli- 
gation, a  passion  for  righteousneess,  a  person- 
alizing of  human  relationships,  the  power  for 
clean  living,  a  spirit  of  service — these  are  some 
of  the  precious  gifts  that  Christ  has  brought. 


V.    MONTANA 


CHAELES  LINCOLN  BOVAED 

PRESIDENT  MONTANA  WESLEYAN  UNIVERSITY, 
HELENA,  MONTANA 

Charles  L.  Bovard  was  born  in  Scott  County, 
Indiana,  October  10,  1860,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  Normal  Collegiate  Institute  and 
Hanover  College.  He  received  the  degrees  Ph.B. 
from  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University  and  D.D. 
from  the  Moores'  Hill  College  in  1909.  He  was 
licensed  to  preach  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  re- 
ceived on  trial  in  the  Southwest  Indiana  Confer- 
ence in  1883,  and  filled  various  appointments  in 
that  Conference  for  seven  years.  After  a  few 
months  as  missionary  at  Tuscon,  Arizona,  Bishop 
Mallalieu  appointed  him  to  the  superintendency 
of  the  New  Mexico  English  Mission,  where  he 
served  six  years.  His  subsquent  pastorates  have 
been :  Laporte,  Indiana,  two  years ;  Helena,  Mon- 
tana, four  years;  Mount  View,  Butte,  Montana, 
three  years ;  Oxford,  Ohio,  four  years,  and  a  short 
pastorate  in  Minot,  North  Dakota,  from  which 
he  was  called  to  the  superintendency  of  the 
Butte  District.  After  one  year  in  that  capacity, 
he  was  appointed  to  the  position  he  now  occupies 
as  president  of  Montana  Wesleyan  University. 


220 


THE  SIN  OF  STUPIDITY 

CHARLES  LINCOLN  BOVARD 

"For   he   supposed   his   brethren   would   have   under- 
stood, .   .   .  but  they  understood  not" — Acts  7.  25. 

DEAR  preacher-brother  Stephen!  How  our 
hearts  are  drawn  to  thee  as  we  feel  the  deep  and 
impelling  love  of  Jesus  Christ  distilling  through 
thy  lofty  speech!  "Men,  brethren,  and  fathers, 
hearken."  This  was  tender,  like  unto  Christ  from 
the  cross.  This  address  of  Stephen  has  been 
mistakenly  called  a  "defense."  He  knew  as  he 
looked  into  the  set  faces  before  him  that  his  doom 
was  sealed ;  he  could  not  be  true  and  save  his  life ; 
true  he  must  be.  He  pleads,  but  not  for  life  nor 
honor.  He  speaks  as  one  facing  his  last  oppor- 
tunity for  pleading  a  life-engrossing  cause.  His 
words  fairly  leap  forth  from  a  heart  ready  to 
burst  with  love.  He  felt  as  Paul  did  when  he 
wrote,  "I  could  wish  myself  accursed  for  my 
brethren  and  kinsmen's  sake."  Nothing  weighed 
with  him  but  to  get  the  truth  into  the  minds  and 
heart  of  his  people.  And  how  he  does  this  thing ! 
How  wise,  how  logical,  how  artful  and  cumulative 
his  arguments!  Whence  the  poise  in  the  midst 
of  such  a  sweep  and  rush  of  thought?  The  Holy 
221 


222       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

Spirit  spake  in  and  through  him — upheld  and 
strengthened  him.  True,  like  his  Master,  "him- 
self he  could  not  save";  but  the  early  and  latter 
rains  fell  upon  his  words  and  death  with  rich  re- 
sults. Saul  was  a  witness  and  never  got  away 
from  what  he  heard  and  saw.  "No  Stephen,  no 
Paul,"  say  the  Fathers.  First  of  the  bloody  train 
that  has  marched  across  the  pages  of  Christian 
history — first  and  goodliest — we  thank  thee, 
Stephen.  When  we  are  at  our  best,  when  we  feel 
like  mounting  up  on  wings  of  eagles,  we  still  gaze 
aloft  to  thy  martyr  throne  hard  by  the  mount  of 
God. 

Stephen  struck  at  the  deepest  weakness  not 
only  in  the  life  of  his  own  nation  or  his  own  time, 
but  of  all  peoples  and  all  times — spiritual  stu- 
pidity. "There  are  none  so  blind  as  those  who 
will  not  see."  It  was  the  cry  of  the  prophets. 
The  people  had  dull  ears,  blind  eyes,  torpid  and 
unresponding  hearts.  Isaiah  said  they  would  not 
"consider."  He  called  to  them  to  awake  and  arise. 
The  ass  and  the  ox  were  showing  more  alertness. 
The  fowler  saw  that  it  was  vain  to  spread  the 
net  in  the  sight  of  any  bird;  but  men  walked 
into  the  open  net  in  broad  daylight.  They  stoned 
their  prophets — men  who  could  have  helped  them. 
At  last  they  seemed  to  have  lost  entirely  their 
moral  perspective,  shouting  defiantly,  "Evil,  be 
thou  my  good!" 

This  same  penchant  for  blundering  was  carried 
over  into  the  times  of  Christ  and  his  apostles. 


THE  SIN  OF  STUPIDITY  223 

To  Paul  it  was  a  dark  veil  over  the  people's  eyes, 
"untaken  away."  (John  said  Christ  had  come 
to  his  own  and  his  own  had  refused  him — "re- 
ceived him  not.")  They  could  not  understand 
the  plain  meanings  of  their  own  writings.  Even 
the  loving  and  persistent  explanations  of  the 
Great  Teacher  helped  them  nothing.  They  made 
puzzles  out  of  his  plain  words.  They  construed 
his  acts  of  beneficence  into  either  acts  of  diabol- 
ism or  disloyalty  to  his  country  and  religion. 
They  hung  upon  his  speech  not  for  the  purposes 
of  profit  but  that  they  might  find  some  grounds 
for  accusation.  At  last  they  succeeded,  and  in 
all  of  its  meaning,  Peter  boldly  declares:  "Ye 
have  denied  the  Holy  One  and  Just  .  .  .  and 
have  killed  the  Prince  of  Life" — the  colossal 
blunder  of  the  ages. 

But  this  sermon  is  not  to  exhaust  itself  upon 
ancient  history,  although  that  history  is  rich 
with  the  wisdom  of  God.  I  should  be  only  too 
glad  to  report  that  this  human  stupidness  had 
largely  passed  away.  But,  alas!  the  blind  spot 
on  the  soul  still  remains.  Light  there  is — in- 
creased light — the  Sun  of  Righteousness  shining 
brilliantly  for  those  who  have  eyes.  God  is  re- 
vealed more  clearly  with  each  conquest  of  science, 
each  added  page  of  interpreted  history,  and  yet 
how  very  many  stupidly  lie  in  their  dark  caves 
of  selfish  unbelief! 

Nor  is  this  stupidity  merely  incidental — a 
veneer,  a  tinge;  it  is  fundamental — the  most 


224       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

marked  characteristic  of  fallen  human  nature. 
Deity  may  not  dispel  it.  Jesus,  conversing  with 
the  woman  of  Samaria  in  compassionate  helpless- 
ness, said,  "If  thou  knewest  the  gift  of  God,  and 
who  it  is  that  saith  to  thee,  Give  me  to  drink," 
etc.,  thereby  acknowledging  his  own  limitations 
in  the  presence  of  blind  stupidity.  On  a  later 
occasion,  with  almost  breaking  heart,  Jesus  gazed 
upon  Jerusalem,  where  he  had  done  so  many  of 
his  marvelous  works,  and  uttered  the  wail  of  dis- 
appointed love  and  service:  "O  Jerusalem,  Jeru- 
salem, ...  how  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy 
children  together,  even  as  a  hen  gathereth  her 
chickens  under  her  wings,  and  ye  would  not." 
Revelation  is  thwarted  at  this  point.  What  is  as 
clear  as  the  noonday  to  the  awakened  soul  is  only 
confusion  to  the  dead  soul.  "They  have  Moses 
and  the  prophets" — what  avails  further  miracu- 
lous works?  "Though  one  should  rise  from  the 
dead,  they  will  not  believe." 

What  a  striking  and  sad  thing  is  this  limita- 
tion we  all  share  in  matters  so  vital  as  the  eternal 
welfare  of  those  we  love!  Did  you  never  as 
father,  mother,  or  brother  stand  and  plead  with 
a  loved  one  to  see  and  walk  in  the  right  way — 
assured,  perhaps,  at  first,  that  that  one  so  near 
to  you  by  the  ties  of  nature  must  get  your  mean- 
ing? But,  alas!  have  you  not  soon  felt  the  dark 
gulf  between  you  and  the  one  you  loved  swallow- 
ing up  your  words  as  fast  as  uttered — emphasiz- 
ing your  helplessness?  You  thought  they  would 


THE  SIN  OF  STUPIDITY  225 

have  understood,  but  they  understood  not.  The 
defect  is  fundamental,  an  inheritance  from  that 
spiritual  cataclysm  of  the  soul,  theologically 
designated  "the  fall."  But  here  we  must  be  care- 
ful. We  must  not  lose  sight  of  our  mighty 
potencies.  Because  we  cannot  do  a  certain  thing 
out  of  hand,  is  no  sufficient  reason  for  believing 
that  we  can  do  nothing.  The  soul  of  the  deadest 
has  something  that  can  be  appealed  to.  Calvin 
and  Edwards  were  far  too  literal  in  assigning 
to  death  and  sleep  meanings  that  placed  the  hu- 
man worker  in  the  attitude  of  indifference  until 
sovereign  grace  should  speak  and  act  by  creative 
power  upon  the  natural  man. 

This  brings  us  to  the  very  watershed  of  vital 
theology.  We  must  be  careful  in  denying  to  Cal- 
vinism the  extreme  implications  of  her  doctrines 
of  decrees,  that  we  do  not  withdraw  ourselves 
from  that  full  dependence  upon  God  for  the 
regenerating  act  necessary  to  make  new  the  stony 
hearts  of  men.  "Paul  may  plant  and  Apollos 
water,  but  God  must  give  the  increase."  Ac- 
knowledge this,  and  we  are  thrown  instantly 
upon  God — must  implore  his  help  and  depend 
upon  his  grace  for  the  regeneration  of  mankind; 
deny  it,  and  we  go  on  trying  to  add  a  cubit  here 
and  there  to  our  moral  stature.  On  the  one 
hand,  we  have  our  great  and  ever-developing  doc- 
trines of  evangelicalism;  on  the  other,  the  thou- 
sand and  one  diluted  forms  of  socinianism  and 
modern  Unitarianism.  The  difficulties  that  were 


226       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

in  the  way  of  our  fathers  have  largely  disap- 
peared. We  can  see  that  the  effective  operations 
of  God's  grace  do  not  at  all  interfere  with  the 
absolute  freedom  of  the  will.  John's  gracious 
words,  "Ye  have  not  chosen  me,  but  I  have  chosen 
you,"  etc.,  and  "no  man  can  come  to  me  except 
the  Father  .  .  .  draw  him,"  are  in  perfect  har- 
mony with  our  sure  intuition  of  responsibility. 
This  doctrine  of  the  soul's  deadness  and  the  need 
of  the  combined  power  of  man  and  Omnipotence 
in  the  task  of  bringing  him  to  life,  leads  us  to 
the  very  heart  of  evangelism.  I  might  safely 
challenge  the  citation  of  a  single  spirit-propagat- 
ing revival  that  has  not  recognized  this  spiritual 
deadness  of  the  natural  man.  It  is  equally  true 
that  the  highest  and  most  lasting  results  in  spir- 
itual endeavor  have  fully  recognized  man's  joint 
indispensableness  in  the  work  of  awakening  and 
regenerating  mankind.  "For  we  are  laborers  to- 
gether with  God."  But  let  us  come  a  little  closer 
home  with  our  theme.  Without  an  attempt  at 
detailed  specification,  let  us  glance  at  a  few  of 
the  more  general  attitudes  of  life  that  illustrate 
this  inborn  stupidity. 

That  man  is  stupid  certainly  who  neglects  or 
refuses  adequate  consideration  of  the  deeper 
things  of  life.  The  time-honored  doctrines  of  im- 
mortality— doctrines  in  no  wise  affected  (except 
in  confirmation)  by  the  scientific  learning  of  our 
day — are  certainly  worthy  of  serious  thought. 
To-day  we  live  here  in  this  world  with  our  ma- 


THE  SIN  OF  STUPIDITY  227 

terial  goods,  our  friends,  and  our  employments; 
to-morrow  we  may  have  nothing  to  do  with  all 
these  things :  death  has  rendered  them  useless  so 
far  as  we  are  concerned.  Granted  that  an  undue 
reflection  upon  a  future  life  may  be  injurious,  yet 
can  a  human  intelligence,  not  diabolically 
blinded,  go  on  from  year  to  year  without  so 
much  as  a  serious  thought  for  the  soul's  relation- 
ship to  eternity?  Do  the  analogies  of  your 
earthly  life  show  such  neglect?  Future  situa- 
tions in  this  life  give  you  much  concern.  You 
contemplate  a  change  of  residence,  a  trip  abroad, 
and  the  contingencies  are  all  carefully  weighed; 
provisions  against  the  remotest  possible  discom- 
fort are  minutely  made.  You  would  justly  blame 
yourself  if  you  did  otherwise.  But  why  so  in- 
different to  matters  of  so  much  deeper  import? 
Is  it  not  because  of  imperfect  understanding — 
of  a  fatal  stupidity  in  spiritual  things  ?  You  are 
more  stupid  than  the  bird  who  sights  the  net  that 
would  ensnare  him.  Shake  yourself  free  from 
that  numbness  which  means  eternal  death!  The 
arctic  explorer  knows  the  meaning  of  that  pleas- 
ant bodily  stupor  that  settles  upon  him  when  ex- 
posed to  the  rigors  of  wind  and  frost.  It  means 
death,  although  it  appears  to  be  a  dreamless  sleep. 
He  must  arouse  himself  at  every  cost.  Yours  is 
a  similar  situation.  Our  times  are  full  of  seda- 
tives, lulling  the  unsuspecting  into  reposeful 
slumber,  a  thousandfold  more  dangerous  than 
the  most  puissant,  open  foe. 


228       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

Then,  again,  we  must  class  that  one  stupid  who 
refuses  evidence,  flouts  testimony.  It  is  not-  my 
purpose  to  review  even  in  outline  the  many 
varied  evidences  of  the  truth  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion. Although  whole  libraries  have  been 
written  upon  the  theme,  what  do  they  avail  when 
men  refuse  to  listen.  What  more  direct  route  is 
there  to  conviction  than  that  suggested  by  the 
psalmist,  "O  taste  and  see  that  the  Lord  is  good"  ? 
Our  Lord  also  proposed  that  the  truthfulness  of 
the  doctrines  should  be  tested  by  experiment: 
"He  who  willeth  to  do  ...  shall  know  of  the 
doctrine."  The  worst  of  it  is  that  this  refusal 
of  evidence  is  against  our  best  interests.  There 
might  be  some  difficulty  in  getting  a  man  to  be- 
lieve to  his  hurt,  but  the  gospel  proposition  aims 
only  at  our  highest  good.  Why,  here  is  a  per- 
version so  deep  and  ineradicable  that  we  stand  in 
awe  before  it,  questioning  if  we  are  not  facing  the 
works  of  some  occult  diabolism.  We  have  in 
books  like  Harold  Begbie's  Twice-Born  Men  as 
clean-cut  evidence  as  was  ever  admitted  to  any 
court  that  the  gospel  saves  the  sinner  from  his 
sins.  Nor  in  this  country  do  we  need  books  with 
long-distance  examples;  we  have  them  under  our 
very  eyes.  All  is  as  definite  and  incontrover- 
tible as  the  testimony  of  the  blind  man,  "Whereas 
I  was  blind,  now  I  see."  My  friend,  if  you  can- 
not believe  everything,  lay  hold  upon  some  great 
religious  truth  that  does  appeal  to  you. 

Horace  Bushnell,  in  his  college  days  suffered 


THE  SIN  OF  STUPIDITY  229 

much  from  his  doubts  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel. 
But  he  was  a  sincere  inquirer  and  God  led  him 
into  the  full  light  of  truth.  First  he  fixed  his 
mind  upon  the  simplest  religious  truth  he  could 
find.  He  said,  "I  do  believe  in  right  and  wrong." 
This  was  the  entering  wedge.  If  we  but  shake 
ourselves  free  from  our  deadly  stupor  and  get  in 
deadly  earnest  in  our  quest  for  the  truth,  God 
will  bring  us  out  into  a  clear  light — a  real  and 
satisfactory  experience. 

Once  more,  and  in  a  matter  that  brings  us  back 
to  our  starting  point — the  matter  at  issue  be- 
tween Stephen  and  his  people — how  stupid  of 
man  to  refuse  the  help  and  fellowship  of  Jesus 
Christ!  And  first  we  must  clear  the  way  some- 
what from  some  modern  misapprehensions  as  to 
the  present-day  claims  of  Christ  upon  mankind. 
That  he  might  have  expected  much  from  those 
who  dwelt  with  him,  heard,  and  saw  him  in  the 
flesh,  is  readily  conceded.  But  now,  what  can  we 
have  to  do  with  him?  I  will  leave  aside  the 
transcendental  features  of  Christ's  person  and 
claims  for  the  moment  (although  to  me  these  are 
valid  and  intensely  real)  and  ask  you  to  simply 
read  and  analyze  the  account  we  have  in  the 
Gospels  of  Christ.  Does  not  this  personality 
grasp  you  in  a  sense  that  no  other  historical 
character  does?  While  in  the  case  of  other  great 
moralists — a  Socrates  or  Seneca — you  get  hold 
of  them;  but  in  the  case  of  Christ,  does  he  not 
get  hold  of  you?  Does  he  not  lift  up  into  our 


230       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

consciousness  a  burning  shame  for  our  sins?  In 
spite  of  our  resistance,  we  feel  that  we  must  do 
something  with  Jesus.  He  has  thrown  himself 
into  our  lives.  Even  among  the  less  enlightened 
peoples  of  the  earth  this  effect  has  followed  the 
story  of  Jesus  and  his  work  among  men.  And 
here  comes  the  basis  of  a  fellowship  as  real  as 
any  we  may  know,  and  a  fellowship  not  at  all  de- 
pendent upon  the  actual  bodily  presence  of 
Christ.  It  does  rest  back  upon  historical  reality 
— grows  out  of  it  as  the  tree  grows  out  of  the  soil, 
but  is  different  from  the  soil.  I  do  not  believe 
there  could  be  a  true  fellowship  based  upon  an 
imaginary  or  legendary  Christ.  Here  the  most 
important  element  in  any  true  fellowship — 
reality — would  be  wanting. 

Enough,  perhaps,  has  been  said  to  bridge  over 
the  difficulty  that  some  honest  minds  have  felt  in 
the  claims  of  a  Christ  long  since  withdrawn  from 
this  world  of  reality.  But  I  do  make  appeal  to 
our  deeper  consciousness,  and  insist  that  if  our 
examination  is  sincere,  we  will  find  the  Christ 
of  to-day  not  less  but  much  more  real  than  he 
possibly  could  have  been  here  in  the  flesh.  If 
this  is  true,  then  how  stupid  of  men  to  neglect  or 
deny  him!  This  reality  is  not  less  than  that  of 
the  sun  or  light.  I  need  not  appeal  to  literature, 
where  he  shines  through  every  page  that  is  worth 
while — presently  and  retrospectively;  nor  do  I 
need  to  recapitulate  history  in  order  to  show 
traces  of  him  on  its  every  page;  and  in  art,  all 


THE  SIN  OF  STUPIDITY  231 

must  acknowledge  that  he  is  supreme  and  com- 
pelling. No;  while  these  may  confirm  our  faith, 
we  have  a  more  direct  and  convincing  source  of 
evidence.  Let  us  look  within,  and  compare  the 
record  in  the  Gospels  with  the  image  in  our 
heart.  I  need  not  fear  the  test. 

It  seemed  to  our  Lord  a  puzzle  that  men  should 
have  so  much  difficulty  in  defining  his  character 
and  person.  "Have  I  been  so  long  time  with  you, 
Philip,  and  yet  hast  thou  not  known  me?"  It  is 
said  that  the  American  Indian  never  points  out 
the  beauties  of  landscape  or  sky  to  his  com- 
panions. He  believes  that  if  beauty  does  not 
appeal  to  those  who  behold  it,  it  is  a  waste  of 
time  to  say  anything  about  it.  Jacob  at  Bethel 
awoke  from  his  dream  to  exclaim,  "Surely  the 
Lord  is  in  this  place ;  and  I  knew  it  not.7' 

O,  my  fellow  men,  let  us  free  ourselves  from 
this  benumbing  lethargy!  Slumber  invites,  but 
is  by  no  means  compelling.  The  living,  present 
Christ  is  at  the  door — at  all  the  doors  of  our  soul 
— knocking,  knocking,  knocking.  Shall  we  let 
him  in? 


EDWARD  SMITH 

SUPERINTENDENT  BUTTE  DISTRICT,  HELENA, 
MONTANA 

Edward  Smith  is  Ohio-born  (1865)  and  farm- 
reared,  of  English-Scotch  extraction.  He  is  one 
of  twelve  children — seven  sons  and  five  daughters. 
Ten  children  grew  to  maturity,  and  all  are  active 
Christians.  Three  sons  of  his  parents  are  Meth- 
odist ministers.  One  daughter  is  in  the  Inter- 
national Young  Women's  Christian  Association 
work.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  had  the  benefit 
of  country  schools  in  boyhood,  a  few  months  of 
high  school,  and  a  year  at  the  Ohio  Northern 
University,  Ada,  Ohio.  After  a  career  of  teach- 
ing he  entered  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  at 
Delaware,  Ohio,  but  soon  suffered  an  acute  at- 
tack of  rheumatism  and  struggled  many  months 
for  life.  In  a  convalescent  state  he  came  to 
Washington  and  entered  the  Columbia  River  Con- 
ference in  1893  and  after  five  years  of  service  was 
transferred  to  the  Montana  Conference,  in  which 
body  he  has  served  the  church  to  the  present  time 
as  pastor  and  superintendent,  first  in  Helena, 
afterward  the  Butte  District,  then  on  the  Yellow- 
stone District  and  again  on  Butte,  or  the  old 
Helena  District.  He  has  had  a  keen  interest  in 
the  educational  work  of  the  church  in  Montana 
and  has  gained  a  wide  frontier  experience. 


232 


THE  SIN  OF  THE  STRONG 

EDWARD   SMITH 

"Issachar  is  a  strong  ass  crouching  down  between 
two  burdens:  and  he  saw  that  rest  was  good,  and  the 
land  that  it  was  pleasant;  and  bowed  his  shoulder  to 
bear,  and  became  a  servant  unto  tribute." — Gen.  49. 
14,  15. 

"Be  not  weary  in  well-doing." — 2  Thess.  3.  13. 

A  FOND  diversion  of  many  people  is  to  trace 
ancestry  and  establish,  remote  lineage.  The 
patriarch  Jacob  wisely  reversed  this  practice  and 
gathered  his  sons  for  a  look  at  the  future.  He 
constructed  a  pedigree  in  advance  and  gave  to  his 
children  the  "Family  Tree"  full  grown.  "Jacob 
called  unto  his  sons,  and  said,  Gather  yourselves 
together,  that  I  may  tell  you  that  which  shall 
befall  you  in  the  last  days"  (Gen.  49.  1). 

The  standard  under  which  a  people  or  a  person 
sets  forth  determines  largely  their  ultimate  goal 
or  destiny.  Low  ideals  do  not  beget  high  results, 
nor  will  noble  ideals  produce  base  consequences. 
A  common  failing  point  is  the  lack  of  building 
future  programs,  making  them  large,  strong,  and 
true,  including  essential  principles ;  among  others 
a  religious  purpose  is  vital.  Lack  of  high-fixed 
purpose  often  explains  defeat. 
233 


234       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

What  an  ensign  is  to  a  nation,  a  coat-of-arms 
to  a  family,  or  a  trade-mark  to  a  firm,  so  should 
a  good  name,  unsullied  character,  and  high  pur- 
pose be  to  the  individual — his  pride,  his  joy,  his 
strength.  If  individual  integrity  from  genera- 
tion to  generation  be  the  undeviating  rule,  the 
nation's  standard  will  never  trail  in  the  dust. 
The  family  escutcheon  will  have  no  blotch.  The 
firm  name  will  need  no  sponsor  and  the  individual 
can  dispense  with  bond  companies.  The  stand- 
ards under  which  we  set  forth  have  everything  to 
do  with  the  goal  or  destiny  reached.  This  is  ex- 
actly what  Jacob,  the  father  of  the  tribes,  saw. 
A  solemn  hour  it  was  for  this  assembly  of  father 
and  sons  in  a  foreign  land.  As  the  father  is  about 
to  die  *he  sees  in  a  prophetic  hour  the  unveiled 
future  of  his  posterity,  and,  true  to  the  vision, 
reveals  his  destiny  according  to  the  traits  in  each 
son. 

Many  a  father's  heart  would  grow  sick  to  see 
a  few  generations  ahead.  Many  also,  let  us  trust, 
would  rejoice  in  the  sure  reward  of  righteous- 
ness. In  any  case,  the  vision  should  be  very 
sobering  to  sire  and  to  sons,  for  all  depends  upon 
the  governing  principles  of  those  who  are  to  make 
the  future.  To  be  reassuring  these  principles 
must  be  more  serious  than  vulgar  getting  of  secu- 
lar wealth,  ease-taking,  or  sensual  pleasure. 

All  this  was  clear  to  Jacob,  fie  saw  that 
Issachar  shrank  from  full  duty,  while  strong  and 
capable.  This  same  practice  is  apt  to  be  the  sin. 


THE  SIN  OF  THE  STRONG  235 

of  the  strong,  and  is  too  much  a  modern  tendency 
in  the  Northwest  with  reference  to  religious 
duties.  This  dodging  or  shrinking  from  duty 
and  toil,  in  a  moral  or  in  any  other  form,  to  the 
fullness  of  strength  is  known  in  forceful  English 
as  shirking. 

Jajcob  may  have  been  moving  his  tent  and 
desert  camp.  The  manner  of  loading  the  asses 
requires  them  to  carry  together  or  mutually  bear 
the  load.  One  young  and  strong  animal  learns 
to  crouch,  or  shrink,  and  let  the  burden  come 
upon  the  willing  beasts.  This  is  Issachar.  This 
is  the  ease-loving  church.  This  is  the  undutiful 
Christian.  This  is  the  sin  of  the  strong.  Very 
homely  incidents  often  convey  serious  truth. 
Anyone  who  has  worked  three  horses  abreast 
knows  how  a  strong  center  horse  will  often  learn 
the  trick  of  letting  the  end  of  his  double  tree 
rest  against  the  triple  tree  and  the  other  two 
horses,  less  strong  possibly  than  the  shirker,  will 
do  the  work.  This  is  the  figure  of  the  text.  This 
is  the  sin  of  the  strong.  The  moral  burden  of  our 
region  is  not  shared  or  distributed  in  right  or 
equal  proportions.  Many  fail  to  use  their  splendid 
strength,  and  evade  moral  duties.  This  practice 
will  reduce  posterity  to  tribute  payers,  to  sensu- 
ality and  greed. 

We  can  willingly  excuse  weakness  and  have 
charity  for  the  feeble  and  faint.  But  shirking 
is  inexcusable  and  intolerable.  Issachar  is  strong 
but  quick  to  see  a  resting  place  and  cunning  to 


236       PACIFIC  NOKTHWEST  PULPIT 

enjoy  it.  A  strong  tendency  to  imitate  this 
dangerous  practice  seizes  upon  many  who  come 
to  our  borders  from  other  regions.  The  land  is 
pleasant  and,  religiously,  rest  is  good. 

The  penalty  for  this  sin  is  exacting  and  severe. 
With  Issachar  the  feebleness  which  he  feigns 
becomes  a  reality,  and  his  tribe  degenerates  to 
servile  tribute-payers  to  surrounding  tribes.  This 
shirking  tribe  has  left  a  progeny — originally 
strong  and  well  endowed  with  capability  and 
possible  efficiency,  but  quick  to  improve  a  chance 
to  rest.  Issachar's  inheritance  was  the  broad 
west  plain  of  the  Jordan,  rich,  level,  and  remu- 
nerative; yet  he  becomes  a  tribute-payer,  lacking 
in  self-esteem  and  shorn  of  self-respect  and  in- 
dependence. The  warning  lesson  need  not  be 
misapplied. 

The  most  destructive  evils  of  this  day  result 
from  love  of  ease  by  those  whose  right  and  duty 
it  was  to  be  strong  and  bear  burdens.  This  sin 
of  the  strong  has  crept  into  Christian  activities 
with  menacing  results.  The  tribute  this  sin  will 
exact  will  be  nothing  less  than  our  Sabbath,  our 
family  altar,  our  deepening  life,  and  our  moral 
influence.  It  is  too  much  to  pay  to  the  godless 
tribes  requiring  it. 

The  naturalist  tells  us  that  certain  tribes  of 
ants  practice  an  ancient  sin  of  the  human  race. 
They  make  slaves  of  their  fellows  and  take  their 
ease,  but  lose  their  own  strength  and  so1  degen- 
erate by  this  practice  that  when  separated  from 


THE  SIN  OF  THE  STRONG  237 

their  slaves  they  are  incapable  of  self-support  and 
die  of  starvation.  They  pay  over  in  dependence 
to  the  tyranny  of  sloth. 

I  heard  a  governor  of  Ohio  confess  before  a 
college  class,  that  as  a  student  he  was  pampered 
with  money  and  luxuries,  while  a  classmate  whom 
he  called  Charlie  was  absolutely  self-reliant.  A 
number  of  years  after  quitting  college  they  met. 
Charlie's  record  was  more  splendid  than  that  of 
the  rich  classmate.  The  governor's  uncouth  ex- 
pression was:  "Confound  the  luck!  Charlie  al- 
ways did  have  the  advantage  of  me.  He  had  to 
struggle,  and  it  gained  his  self-reliance,  while 
ease  and  luxury  rendered  me  impotent."  In  re- 
ality the  governor's  wealth  should  have  been  his 
strength,  but  abuse  of  strength — this  sin  of  the 
strong — had  a  penalty  as  it  invariably  does.  It 
makes  of  a  tribe  "a  servant  unto  tribes"  as  truly 
as  it  renders  impotent  the  small  creatures  of  the 
ant  world. 

Many  young  people  are  lounging  in  ease  and 
bordering  on  dissipation  who  could  be  better 
lawyers,  better  doctors,  better  teachers,  better 
farmers,  better  merchants,  better  mechanics,  and 
better  preachers  than  any  we  have  to-day.  This 
is  said  with  no  reflection  on  the  excellent  pro- 
fessional and  industrial  people  of  to-day.  It  is 
a  reflection  on  the  strong,  well-endowed,  talented 
persons  who  flinch  at  duty  and  toil.  Each  gen- 
eration's advantages  are  superior  to  those  of  the 
preceding  one,  and  requirements  correspondingly 


238       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

greater.  None  should  wince  at  this  fact.  All 
should  hail  it  with  a  glad  response. 

The  struggle  with  disadvantages  so  often  men- 
tioned is  in  reality  a  struggle  with  advantages. 
Hardships  are  the  wealth  of  the  poor,  while 
affluence  often  proves  to  be  the  poverty  of  the 
rich,  who  evade  duty  and  toil,  choosing  luxury 
and  ease  instead.  A  recent  tabulation  of  birth 
rate  in  New  York  city  is  as  follows:  Jews,  fifty- 
five  to  one  thousand  annually;  Italians,  fifty; 
Negroes,  twenty-nine;  and  the  rich  homes  of  the 
pure  Americans  but  seven  to  the  one  thousand 
annually.  Nature,  in  this  instance  God,  is  not 
mocked:  extinction  is  a  severe  penalty  physi- 
cally; it  is  alarmingly  so  spiritually. 

This  sin  of  the  strong  attacks  church  people 
and  church  activities.  Many  a  small,  weak  band 
outdoes  the  strong,  rich,  ease-loving  organization. 
There  are  pleasing  exceptions,  but  many  churches 
rich  in  members  and  material  resources  have 
lamentably  few  conversions.  If  their  efforts  were 
in  ratio  to  those  of  smaller  and  poorer  churches 
mighty  results  would  follow. 

I  have  witnessed  the  coming  of  multitudes  into 
the  great  Northwest.  Many  of  them  are  the  salt 
of  the  earth  and  our  righteous  strength  in  this 
land.  Others  crouch  between  the  burdens  and 
see  that  rest  is  good,  but  astonishingly  soon  be- 
come tribute-payers  to  carnal  tribes.  Many  who 
have  enjoyed  the  strength  of  godly  atmosphere 
as  the  church  and  family  altar  in  the  homeland 


THE  SIN  OF  THE  STRONG  239 

grow  weary  in  well-doing  in  the  new  land,  join 
Issachar's  tribe,  and  submit  to  a  tribute  the 
church  would  never  exact. 

A  man  of  combative  nature  tackled  a  stony 
New  England  farm,  and  made  it  the  best  in  the 
county.  When  asked  if  he  would  not  like  to  farm 
in  the  free  deep  soil  of  the  West,  his  reply  was, 
"I'd  grow  lazy  if  I  put  my  spade  into  the  ground 
where  it  did  not  strike  a  rock."  Woe  to  them  that 
are  at  ease  in  Zion!  Every  man  shall  bear  his 
own  burden,  or  what  time  he  should  be  a  teacher 
of  others  he  will  have  need  that  he  be  taught 
again  the  first  principles. 

Some  people  never  halt,  others  never  let  slip 
a  chance  to  sit  down.  Those  who  march  keep  the 
throng  moving.  Many  of  us  feel  ourselves  but  a 
part  of  the  throng.  Some  have  a  habit  of  pushing 
difficulties  aside  or  mastering  them;  others  hunt 
a  way  round  and  become  stranded  in  by-paths. 
The  strong  who  use  their  strength  get  above  mists 
and  clouds  of  despair.  Those  who  sin  against 
their  strength  suffocate  in  ease-taking.  We  tire 
most  when  doing  least.  Idlers  grow  weary.  Those 
who  keep  going  keep  growing,  while  lazy  people 
complain  and  fail.  Diligence  in  prayer  and  in 
God's  word  is  proof  against  weariness  in  God's 
work.  Nature  is  action!  Tides,  winds,  clouds, 
streams,  all  work  hard.  God  assigns  great  tasks 
to  people.  To  redeem  the  race  is  no  small  thing. 
It  is  worthy  of  strength. 

To  shrink  burdens  proves  us  unworthy  of  the 


240       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

work  of  the  Master.  He  was  no  idler.  He  did 
the  work  of  his  Father  who  sent  him.  He  en- 
joins us  to  work  while  it  is  day.  To  each  one  his 
work  was  his  parable  in  Mark  13.  34. 

Energy  thrives  in  no  country  as  in  the  North- 
west. It  has  built  our  mountain  chains  and  has 
plowed  out  our  canons.  Our  swift,  limpid  rivers 
and  streams  are  mighty  power  lines  of  energy 
from  source  to  mouth.  Our  breezes  are  constant. 
Our  almost  constant  sunshine  scintillates  with 
life.  Day  unto  day  uttereth  strength  and  night 
unto  night  showeth  keenness.  Issachar's  tribe 
would  have  been  discordant  with  environment 
here.  Industrially,  commercially,  and  educa- 
tionally our  people  catch  the  spirit  of  Montana's 
rivers,  mountains,  and  sky.  In  these  surround- 
ings, with  the  tendency  they  gender,  why  make 
an  exception  in  things  spiritual,  that  is,  the 
affairs  of  Christ's  kingdom.  Nowhere  does  nature 
repay  toil  as  in  the  Northwest.  But  lavish  as 
she  is,  there  are  no  dividends  for  those  who  take 
their  ease.  All  we  say  of  nature,  we  can  say  of 
grace.  Arise,  shine,  put  on  thy  strength,  O  Zion. 
Not  slothful  in  business,  but  fervent  in  spirit, 
serving  the  Lord. 


VI.    NORTH  MONTANA 


JOHN  A.  MARTIN 

SUPERINTENDENT  GREAT  FALLS  DISTRICT,  GREAT 
FALLS,  MONTANA 

John  A.  Martin  was  born  at  Teewater,  Ontario, 
Canada,  April  29,  1869,  of  Scotch-Irish  parent- 
age. The  greater  part  of  his  boyhood  days  were 
spent  on  the  farm.  In  his  seventeenth  year  he 
was  given  a  license  to  preach,  but  owing  to  ill 
health  he  had  to  discontinue  for  a  time.  In  Oc- 
tober, 1887,  he  moved  to  Livingston,  Montana, 
and  assumed  work  at  the  railroad  shops.  In  1892 
the  Kev.  Jacob  Mills  placed  him  in  charge  of 
Livingston  Circuit,  Montana  Conference.  The 
following  year  he  was  appointed  to  the  Bozeman 
Circuit  and  from  there  was  sent  to  Glasgow,  Mon- 
tana, in  the  North  Montana  Mission.  After  two 
years  of  service  there  and  one  at  Fort  Benton  he 
went  to  Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  but  owing  to 
ill  health  he  returned  before  graduation  to  Mon- 
tana and  was  stationed  at  Hamilton  for  four 
years;  Philipsburg,  one  year;  Chinook,  three 
years;  Lewistown,  two  years;  First  Church, 
Great  Falls,  five  years ;  and  in  1913  was  appointed 
superintendent  of  the  Great  Falls  District,  North 
Montana  Conference,  in  which  capacity  he  is  now 
serving  the  church. 


242 


CHRISTIAN  STEWARDSHIP 

JOHN  A.  MARTIN 

"Wherefore  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  saith,  .  .  . 
Them  that  honor  me  I  will  honor." — 1  Sam.  2.  30. 

WE  believe  that  "Christian  Stewardship"  is 
one  of  the  greatest  questions  before  us  to-day  as 
a  church  of  the  living  God.  And,  further,  we 
do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  the  success  of  God's 
work,  great  as  we  know  it  is,  hinges  very  largely 
upon  the  fact  of  our  honoring  God  or  our  dis- 
honoring him.  There  is  no  possible  doubt  but 
that  the  church  has  been  brought  into  derision 
on  account  of  the  methods  that  have  been  em- 
ployed for  the  raising  of  finances  in  order  to  carry 
on  the  work. 

That  an  organization  which  has  only  the  wel- 
fare of  men  at  heart  should  be  questioned,  as  the 
church  is  to-day,  about  its  usefulness  is  rather 
humiliating  to  those  who  are  giving  it  the 
strength  and  devotion  of  their  lives.  Yet  the 
question  is  being  asked,  "What  is  the  matter  with 
the  churches?"  Many  are  the  solutions  offered, 
but  none,  so  far,  of  the  inventions  of  man's  mind 
has  given  a  satisfactory  answer;  nor  yet  will 
they  ever  be  able  to  do  so,  for  God  himself  has 
243 


244       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

the  only  solution — that  of  honoring  him.  When 
the  church  honors  God,  he  always  honors  the 
church.  That  is  a  biblical  statement  and  has 
been  proven  time  and  time  again  in  the  Christian 
experiences  of  those  who  have  "proved  him." 
When  a  church  or  an  individual  feels  no  respon- 
sibility as  to  privileges  and  duties  in  this  great 
work  of  the  salvation  of  the  lost,  of  a  necessity 
something  must  suffer,  because  God's  plans  have 
not  been  put  into  operation. 

When  we  begin  to  put  biblical  methods  into 
practice  you  will  see  a  different  world;  not  that 
God  will  change,  but  the  change  will  be  in  us. 
There  is  no  doubt  whatsoever  that  the  work  of 
God  is  suffering  every  day,  and  I  believe  very 
largely  so,  from  a  lack  of  knowledge  of  what  God 
has  to  say  to  us  in  his  own  blessed  Book.  "Where 
there  is  no  vision,  the  people  perish :  but  he  that 
keepeth  the  law,  happy  is  he."  There  lies  our 
difficulty;  we  have  failed  to  grasp  the  vision  as 
given  to  us  in  the  Word  of  God.  Multitudes  of 
folks  have  been  endeavoring  to  consecrate  them- 
selves to  the  work  of  God  without  consecrating 
their  possessions.  We  must  bear  in  mind  that  the 
church  can  never  come  to  its  fullness  of  power 
until  it  accepts  and  practices  a  financial  system 
that  will  pour  into  the  Lord's  treasury  a  due  pro- 
portion of  the  resources  of  his  people  everywhere ; 
for  victory  in  the  local  church  means  victory 
abroad  as  well,  while  defeat  of  the  church  at  home 
means  defeat  everywhere. 


CHRISTIAN  STEWARDSHIP          245 

At  the  big  International  Epworth  League  Con- 
vention held  in  Buffalo,  New  York,  in  July,  1914, 
Dr.  Badley,  who  is  the  general  secretary  of  the 
Epworth  League  of  India,  made  the  statement 
that  there  have  been  thousands  of  natives  turned 
away  who  came  seeking  baptism  because  they 
did  not  have  enough  Christian  workers  to  teach 
the  natives  the  true  significance  of  Christian 
baptism.  Contrast  that  statement  with  this  fact : 
in  this  country  there  are  several  thousand  Stu- 
dent Volunteers  who  are  willing  to  go  to  foreign 
mission  fields,  but  there  is  not  the  means  at  hand 
to  send  them.  There  must  be  something  woefully 
wrong  with  the  church  when  such  conditions 
exist,  especially  when  the  church  has  long  prayed 
for  open  doors,  and  God  has  heard  the  earnest 
supplications  of  his  people ;  the  doors  have  opened, 
but  the  purse  strings  have  tightened,  the  tithe 
has  been  withheld.  It  is  just  as  necessary  in  liv- 
ing a  Christian  life  to  have  a  system  in  our  finan- 
cial obligations  to  the  church  as  it  is  to  pray,  or 
read  the  Bible.  In  fact,  I  doubt  the  sincerity  of 
a  life  that  can  say  prayers,  and  read  the  Scrip- 
tures and  then  close  the  ear  and  heart  to  the  ever- 
pleading  Macedonian  cry,  "Come  over  and  help 
us." 

When  the  church  either  at  home  or  abroad 
turns  away  seeking  souls  from  its  altars,  because 
of  lack  of  funds  with  which  to  support  native 
workers  or  pay  the  running  expenses,  it  is  a  sad 
commentary  on  twentieth-century  Christianity. 


246       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

It  would  seem  unreasonable  to  think  that  the 
good  God  has  made  provision  for  everything  else 
in  the  world  except  a  financial  plan  for  the  main- 
tenance of  his  own  work.  But  I  want  to  say  to 
you  that  God  has  given  to  us  a  plan,  that  of 
"Christian  stewardship/'  with  the  tithe  as  his 
standard  of  giving.  The  tithe  was  a  part  of  the 
law  and  life  of  God's  people  under  the  Old  Testa- 
ment dispensation,  and  there  is  no  place  where 
we  are  told  that  it  has  been  changed  in  the  New 
Testament. 

The  tithe  is  an  Anglo-Saxon  word  meaning  the 
"tenth."  It  has  special  reference  to  our  honoring 
God  in  worship,  in  the  giving  of  one  tenth  of  our 
income  for  religious  purposes.  Giving  is  a  part 
of  worship,  as  well  as  singing. 

As  we  prosper,  God  prospers  also,  for  we  are 
coworkers  together  with  him.  Paul  in  his  letter 
to  the  church  at  Corinth  gives  them  this  idea, 
"Upon  the  first  day  of  the  week  let  every  one  of 
you  lay  by  him  in  store,  as  God  hath  prospered 
him,  that  there  be  no  gatherings  when  I  come." 
You  will  notice  that  there  were  no  exceptions— 
"every  one  of  you."  Then  there  must  have  been 
some  standard  to  gauge  their  giving.  Paul  knew 
of  the  tithing  system,  because  no  one  was  better 
versed  in  the  law  than  he.  From  all  classes  of 
folks  comes  the  question,  "How  can  I  tithe?"  The 
farmer  asks  the  question.  Personally  I  know 
farmers  who  keep  books,  and  they  can  tell  you 
what  it  costs  to  raise  a  crop  of  grain,  from  the  time 


CHRISTIAN  STEWARDSHIP          247 

the  first  furrow  is  turned  in  the  soil  until  the  grain 
is  in  the  elevator  and  they  have  the  check  in  their 
pocket.  After  the  expenses  are  all  paid  he  can 
give  you  his  net  profit,  and  from  this,  if  he  fol- 
lows the  law  of  God,  he  will  give  one  tenth.  If 
there  is  no  profit  to  him,  why,  God  loses  as  well 
as  does  the  farmer.  The  professional  man  can 
tell  you  what  his  income  and  what  his  expendi- 
tures have  been ;  such  persons  tithe  after  deduct- 
ing the  expense  of  the  business.  The  merchant 
can  tell  you  what  his  income  is  for  the  year,  after 
all  expenses  for  conducting  the  business  have 
been  deducted.  The  salaried  man  has  no  business 
expenses  to  deduct,  so  from  his  salary  each  month 
the  first  item  taken  out  is  the  "tithe."  If  the 
salary  be  one  hundred  dollars  per  month,  then  the 
sum  of  ten  dollars  is  put  into  the  "Lord's  Box." 
We  have  heard  of  people  who  are  supporting  poor 
relatives  from  this  fund,  and  no  part  of  it  ever 
goes  into  the  church  treasury.  Read  Malachi 
3.  7-12. 

History  tells  us  that  at  least  thirteen  centuries 
before  Christ  tithing  was  practiced  among  the 
Greeks.  Clement  of  Alexandria  tells  us  that  be- 
fore the  invention  of  making  images,  the  tithe 
was  offered.  Demosthenes  calls  it  sacrilege  to 
retain  the  tenth  and  use  it  for  other  purposes  save 
that  of  the  deities.  The  fact  is  that  this  custom 
was  practiced  among  all  people  known  to  history 
thirteen  hundred  years  before  the  Christian  era. 
The  Babylonians,  Carthaginians,  Greeks,  and 


248       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

Romans,  all  dedicated  a  tenth  of  their  income 
and  spoils  to  their  gods,  as  well  as  did  the  people 
of  Israel,  from  their  settlement  in  Canaan  to  the 
end  of  the  period  covered  by  Old  Testament  Scrip- 
tures. Jesus  comes  to  us  in  the  New  Testament. 
What  does  he  teach?  He  says,  "Whosoever  will 
do,  and  teach  the  law  shall  be  called  great  in  the 
kingdom  of  heaven."  You  will  recall  how  a  cer- 
tain lawyer  tempted  Jesus  by  asking,  "Master, 
what  shall  I  do  to  inherit  eternal  life?"  Jesus 
answers,  "What  is  written  in  the  law  ?"  The  man 
knew  what  was  written,  but  he  refused  to  comply, 
just  as  multitudes  of  folks  continue  to  do.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  but  that  the  law  of  the  tithe  still 
holds  good,  and  where  it  is  ignored  the  blessings 
of  God  cannot  be  fully  realized.  There  is  a  no- 
table thing  in  connection  with  God's  divine  plan 
in  that  it  records  no  failures  on  the  part  of  the 
churches  or  individuals  where  it  has  been  con- 
scientiously practiced.  Let  me  give  you  just 
one  concrete  illustration  that  has  come  under  my 
own  ministry.  I  quote  from  a  paper  prepared 
on  tithing  for  a  District  Conference  in  1914: 

"To  me  and  mine  tithing  is  no  longer  an  experi- 
ment. To  our  absolute  satisfaction  we  have 
witnessed  the  result  of  taking  God  at  his  word. 
For  a  time,  out  here  in  a  Montana  town,  I  was 
out  of  work  and  that  through  no  fault  of  my 
own.  It  was  then  that  I  heard  a  sermon  on  tith- 
ing. To  this  day  I  believe  it  was  the  logic  of  the 
sermon  rather  than  my  own  extremity  that  made 


CHRISTIAN  STEWARDSHIP          249 

me  say,  not,  'Lord,  if  you  will  send  me  a  job/  but, 
'Lord,  I  know  you  are  going  to  send  me  a  job,  and 
then  we  will  begin  tithing/  My  wife  had  favored 
the  idea  before  I  had  reached  the  point  myself. 
Was  it  by  chance  that  in  a  week's  time  I  received 
a  letter  asking  me  to  report  for  work  where  I  had 
not  thought  of  asking  for  it  ?  I  took  the  position. 
The  salary  was  small — just  enough  to  live  on — 
but  we  carefully  set  aside  the  tithe  and  the  rest 
met  our  needs.  Was  it  by  chance  that  soon  after 
I  received  another  letter  which  resulted  in  a 
different  position  with  an  increase  of  thirty-three 
per  cent  in  salary?  We  kept  on  tithing.  Was  it 
by  chance  that  a  few  months  afterward,  the 
pastor  at  Whitefish,  Montana,  who  had  been  my 
pastor  back  in  Iowa,  started  a  movement  which 
resulted  in  my  present  position  in  Whitefish, 
where  every  day  is  a  delight  because  of  its  op- 
portunity for  Christian  service,  yet  where  every 
condition  seems  to  help  us  toward  greater  pros- 
perity? Things  don't  come  by  chance.  We  have 
only  met  the  conditions,  and  he  whose  word  has 
never  failed  has  done  the  rest.  'There  hath  not 
failed  one  word  of  all  his  good  promises.7  Matters 
have  passed  the  experimental  stage  with  us,  for 
we  have  been  at  both  ends  of  this  question  and 
have  seen  God's  promises  work  out.  The  tithe  is 
larger  now,  though  of  course  it  is  easier  to  pay  it 
than  when  wages  were  smaller,  and  if  it  pleases 
God  to  increase  still  further  our  prosperity,  we 
shall  not  stop  with  a  tenth,  but  will  increase  the 


250       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

percentage."  In  passing  let  me  say  this:  where 
a  person  begins  tithing  and  gives  it  a  fair  trial, 
it  is  very  seldom  that  you  ever  hear  of  his  giving 
it  up  unless  he  loses  his  Christian  experience.  I 
know  of  only  one  such  case,  and  that  was  the 
reason. 

Draw  on  your  imagination  and  picture  in  your 
mind  the  disciples  of  old  doing  as  some  of  our 
modern  churches  are  doing.  Think  of  Paul  and 
Peter  running  raffles  in  their  churches,  or  Mary 
and  Martha  holding  a  rummage  sale  of  old  cast- 
off  clothing,  and  going  around  the  community 
gathering  up  eatables  for  church  suppers,  and 
charging  thirty-five  cents  for  a  seventy-five-cent 
meal,  and  leading  many  people  to  believe  that 
they  are  helping  the  church  by  paying  half  what 
a  thing  is  worth. 

Listen  to  Paul:  "Then  the  twelve  called  the 
multitude  of  the  disciples  unto  them,  and  said, 
It  is  not  reason  that  we  should  leave  the  word  of 
God,  and  serve  tables"  (Acts  6.  2).  I  am  sure 
that  you  could  not  picture  in  your  mind  David 
tuning  up  his  harp  and  John  the  beloved  disciple 
of  our  Lord  running  a  modern  dance  to  pay  tem- 
ple expenses.  There  has  just  been  brought  to  my 
notice  a  certain  church  whose  minister  does  not 
believe  in  tithing.  .His  church  was  hard  struck 
by  certain  public  works  closing  down,  his  salary 
was  back  six  hundred  dollars,  and  the  grocery- 
man  was  urging  that  his  bills  be  paid.  The  min- 
ister called  his  church  officers  together  and  they 


CHRISTIAN  STEWARDSHIP          251 

decided  on  a  big  dance.  Do  you  wonder  that  that 
church  had  to  dispense  with  their  paid  organist 
and  choir  leader,  and  are  now  wondering  how 
they  are  going  to  pay  the  janitor.  The  minister 
has  resigned,  and  has  sought  other  and  greener 
fields.  With  all  the  faults  of  the  church  of  the 
past,  thank  God,  they  never  resorted  to  some  of 
the  humiliating  and  questionable  methods  of 
these  days,  such  as  selling  the  shadows  of  women 
and  girls  to  the  highest  bidder,  and  conducting 
dances  to  keep  the  temples  of  God  open  even  for 
one  day  a  week.  The  accusation  is  made,  and  in 
many  cases  justly,  that  the  churches  are  always 
begging.  The  reason  for  this  is  that  the  church 
is  not  honoring  God  by  the  tithe  and  systematic 
giving.  It  is  for  us  to  give  it  its  rightful  place 
and  thus  lift  the  church  above  the  selfishness  and 
covetousness  that  now  holds  it  to  the  mammon 
of  this  world. 

A  few  years  ago  when  serving  a  church  of 
three  hundred  and  fifty  members,  and  knowing 
them  very  well  as  to  their  income,  I  averaged 
seventy-five  of  them  as  receiving  one  hundred 
dollars  per  month,  and  forty  of  them  as  receiving 
fifty  dollars  per  month ;  leaving  two  hundred  and 
thirty-five  to  give  nothing,  it  would  still  make  a 
total  tithe  of  eleven  thousand  four  hundred  dol- 
lars a  year.  Twenty-five  per  cent  to  the  benevo- 
lences of  the  church  would  be  two  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  Twenty-five  per  cent 
to  the  running  expenses  of  the  church  would  be 


252       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

two  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  leav- 
ing a  balance  of  five  thousand  seven  hundred  dol- 
lars for  building,  repairing,  and  charity  purposes. 
What  an  influence  for  good  such  a  church  would 
be  in  a  community  if  all  paid  the  tithe! 

To-day  when  an  individual  or  a  family  meets 
with  adversity  in  a  community,  the  first  thing  is 
the  humiliating  experience  of  taking  up  a  sub- 
scription for  them.  How  much  better  it  would 
be  for  the  church  to  have  funds  on  hand,  gov- 
erned by  a  board  of  directors  as  a  bank  is,  able  to 
minister  to  suffering  bodies  as  well  as  to  suffer- 
ing souls!  We  cannot  see  why  this  work  should 
be  left  to  lodges  and  boards  of  charity.  The 
Church  of  God  ought  to  be  able  to  minister  to 
both  body  and  soul;  and  if  the  tithes  were  paid, 
the  church  would  stand  foremost  in  every  com- 
munity. 

Then  there  is  another  thing  that  must  be  con- 
sidered— the  time  that  is  taken  in  the  average 
pulpit  for  special  collections  and  subscriptions. 
Under  the  tithe  system  every  worthy  object  would 
receive  just  consideration  and  publicity,  but  no 
extra  collections  would  need  to  be  taken  or  sub- 
scriptions asked  for.  The  pastor's  mind  would 
be  relieved  of  all  anxiety  as  to  finances,  and  he 
would  be  left  free  to  devote  all  of  his  time  to  the 
spiritual  interests  of  the  church  and  community. 
Under  the  present  system  it  appears  on  the  sur- 
face at  least  that  most  pastors  lose  more  sleep 
worrying  over  finances  than  they  do  over  lost 


CHRISTIAN  STEWARDSHIP          253 

souls.  For  they  feel  that  they  must  bring  up  a 
good  financial  report  to  the  Annual  Conference  in 
order  to  hold  their  standing  and  advance  if  pos- 
sible. 

Brethren,  we  ought  at  least  to  conduct  the 
churches  on  a  scriptural  basis.  Do  you  wonder 
that  so  many  folks  look  upon  the  church  in  de- 
rision? Do  you  wonder  why  it  is  so  hard  to  in- 
terest many  folks  in  the  church?  I  don't  wonder 
at  all ;  in  fact,  I  wonder  that  the  church  is  doing 
as  well  as  it  is,  when  you  consider  the  question- 
able methods  that  are  employed  to  raise  finances, 
keeping  the  man  who  is  to  deliver  the  message  of 
God  from  behind  the  sacred  desk.  O  brethren, 
let  us  in  the  name  of  God  come  back  to  the  Bible 
and  follow  the  method  that  God  gave  to  his  people 
in  the  beginning,  and  thus  raise  the  standard  of 
the  church  to  where  it  belongs,  and  thus  honor 
God  with  the  tithe.  And  when  the  great  day  of 
God  shall  come  with  Paul  we  can  shout  out 
triumphantly,  "I  was  not  disobedient  unto  the 
heavenly  vision." 


PART  III 

SYMPOSIUM 

THE  PROBLEMS  OF  THE  PACIFIC  NORTH 

WEST:  HOW  BEST  SHALL  WE  SOLVE 

THEM? 


ROBERT  H.  HUGHES 

EDITOR,  PACIFIC  CHRISTIAN  ADVOCATE,,  PORTLAND, 
OREGON 

OUR  problems  are  many,  but  to  discuss  them  in 
a  compass  of  several  hundred  words  is  unthink- 
able; therefore,  I  will  name  only  three,  which,  to 
my  mind,  are  paramount,  and  should  have  the 
closest  attention  of  Christianity. 

First.  The  Immigrant  Problem.  We  have 
heretofore  had  very  little  to  do  with  the  newly 
arrived  foreigner.  He  has  generally  landed  in 
New  York,  and  a  very  large  percentage  has  stayed 
east  of  the  Mississippi.  Only  the  more  desirable, 
the  thrifty,  adventuresome  have  ventured  across 
the  plains.  Now,  with  the  opening  of  the  Panama 
Canal  he  will  be  brought  to  our  very  door.  How 
are  we  prepared  to  deal  with  him  ?  If  we  neglect 
him,  he  will  become  a  menace  and  a  burden  upon 
society;  if  we  Christianize  him  and  direct  his 
energies,  he  will  be  an  asset  and  a  colaborer.  This 
is  the  task  of  Protestantism,  yea,  of  Christianity. 

Second.    Enforcement  of  the  Prohibition  Laws. 

Kansas  had  a  prohibition  law  for  a  quarter  of  a 

century  before  it  was  effective.     Unless  we  can 

do  much  better,  the  cause  of  temperance  will  be 

257 


258       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

retarded  many  years.  It  was  a  great  moral  vic- 
tory to  have  two  adjoining  States  vote  overwhelm- 
ingly dry.  Idaho  will  join  by  act  of  Legislature. 
Oregon  and  Washington  are  seaport  States  and 
law  enforcement  will  be  more  difficult  than  in 
Kansas,  and  to  make  the  law  ineffective  will  be 
proportionately  unadvantageous.  Here  again  is 
a  task  for  Protestantism.  Are  we  equal  to  it? 

Third.  Our  Inherited  Gains.  It  is  safe  to  say 
that  hundreds  of  active  workers  in  the  Methodist 
Church  of  the  East  and  Middle  West  are  lost  to 
our  denomination  and  to  the  Christian  Church 
by  our  lax  methods  of  transfer.  This  seems  like 
an  insignificant  thing  to  many  pastors;  other 
pastors  are  very  reticent  about  releasing  a  family 
after  they  once  become  members  of  his  church, 
and  these  delays  are  disastrous.  The  letter  of 
transfer  should,  if  possible,  precede  its  owner  to 
the  field,  and  the  receiving  pastor  exert  himself 
to  make  these  people  welcome. 


PROFESSOR  E.  J.  KLEMME 

STATE  NORMAL  SCHOOL,  ELLENSBURG,  WASHINGTON 

THE  Pacific  Northwest  is  an  empire  within  it- 
self. It  has  sprung  full  grown  out  of  the  yester- 
days. It  has  come  to  complete  recognition  among 
the  States  by  leaps  and  bounds.  What  the  East- 
ern States  required  for  a  hundred  years  to  com- 
plete has  been  done  here  in  a  brief  quarter  of  a 
century. 

The  people  that  builded  this  empire  were  com- 
pelled to  push  ahead  or  be  pushed  aside.  They 
accepted  the  challenge  and  began  crowding  those 
in  front  with  the  same  energy  that  they  were  be- 
ing crowded  by  those  behind.  They  knew  no 
limit  and  recognized  no  master.  Science  was 
their  handmaiden,  and  to  succeed  was  the  goal 
of  their  ambition. 

This  condition  forced  them  to  leave  the  Golden 
Rule  beyond  the  Rockies,  and  they  proceeded  to 
do  others  before  others  could  do  them.  In  the 
East  they  were  faithful  church  members;  now 
they  are  not  even  church  tenders.  The  ascent  of 
the  Great  Divide  seemed  too  steep  for  church  let- 
ters. The  air  of  the  Northwest  seemed  too  rare 
for  prayer. 

259 


260       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

The  game  was  rapid  and  fascinating.  We 
hurried  forth  to  conquer  the  wilderness,  but  we 
have  been  conquered  by  it.  We  are  charmed  by 
the  hills,  but  fail  to  read  the  divine  charm  in 
their  origin.  We  see  the  great  mountains  and 
admire  their  beauty  and  grandeur,  but  never  turn 
to  the  mount  from  which  One  said,  "All  power  is 
given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth."  We  have 
been  turning  intellectual  handsprings  in  our  mad 
search  for  the  secrets  of  nature,  but  we  have  not 
searched  the  Scripture  for  the  secret  of  a  useful 
life. 

If  such  is  the  condition,  where  shall  we  look 
for  the  remedy?  The  statement  of  the  problem 
is  easier  than  the  solution.  Possibly  we  should 
first  turn  to  the  church  to  see  if  it  is  making  the 
progress  in  harmony  with  the  spirit  of  the  West. 
Perhaps  the  pulpit  could  assist  in  the  solution 
by  a  stronger  and  more  modern  presentation  of 
the  truth.  Perchance  the  pew,  indifferent  to  the 
call  of  a  righteous  life,  has  been  drifting  danger- 
ously near  to  the  rocks  of  materialism.  From 
whatever  source  we  may  expect  to  find  the  solu- 
tion, we  may  do  well  to  think  on  these  things. 


FLOYD  L.  DAGGETT 

PRESIDENT,  LAYMEN'S  ASSOCIATION,  COLUMBIA 

RIVER   CONFERENCE.     STATE   INDUSTRIAL 

INSURANCE  COMMISSIONER,  OLYMPIA, 

WASHINGTON 

THE  great  problem,  to  my  mind,  in  the  Pacific 
Northwest  is  lack  of  religious  life.  Many  causes 
contribute  to  this.  The  newness  of  the  country, 
its  people  coming  here  from  all  parts  of  the 
world,  strangers  to  each  other,  without  the  family 
and  home  connections;  the  population  is  cosmo- 
politan, with  nearly  every  nationality  repre- 
sented, with  a  large  proportion  of  Southern  Euro- 
peans and  Orientals,  who  have  no  religious  life 
nor  Sunday  observance. 

The  church  is  not  meeting  the  needs  of  the  peo- 
ple. The  solution  is  an  awakening  of  the  ministers 
and  laity  to  our  needs,  and  by  consecrated,  per- 
sistent effort  reach  out  and  bring  the  people  to  a 
realization  of  their  religious  condition.  The 
simple  gospel  of  Christ  preached  and  lived  by 
ministers  and  people,  particularly  church  mem- 
bers, with  the  militant  spirit  carrying  this  gospel 
to  all,  will  solve  the  problems  and  it  cannot  be 
solved  otherwise.  Also  discourage  the  "isms"  and 
"religious  fads,"  and  keep  well  grounded  in  the 
fundamental  Christian  principles. 
261 


PRINCIPAL  N.  D.  SHOW  ALTER 
STATE  NORMAL  SCHOOL,  CHENEY,  WASHINGTON 

THE  citizenship  of  the  Pacific  Northwest  is 
made  up  of  a  cosmopolitan  people,  coming  from 
almost  every  quarter  of  the  United  States.  These 
people  are  fraught  with  the  strong  virile  spirit 
which  is  only  found  in  the  pioneer  type.  The  en- 
vironment of  the  country  is  such  that  it  ener- 
gizes the  inhabitants  to  a  great  degree,  and,  all 
in  all,  we  find  them  to  be  a  people  moved  only 
by  the  strongest  influences.  Nevertheless,  they 
are  a  people  of  great  heart  and  this  living,  throb- 
bing, forceful  spirit  needs  only  to  be  well  or- 
ganized and  properly  directed  in  order  for  it  to 
become  a  mighty  force  for  good.  The  problem 
of  the  church,  therefore,  is  to  secure  the  strongest 
types  of  manhood  and  womanhood  for  its  leaders, 
and  to  hold  out  to  the  world  the  strongest  proof 
of  its  real  virtue.  The  goodness  of  God  should 
be  preached  rather  than  the  awfulness  that  may 
possibly  come  through  disobedience.  Love,  right, 
justice,  and  truth  should  be  the  pillars  on  which 
our  doctrines  must  rest,  and  these  principles 
must  be  carried  into  the  business  world  during 
the  six  days  of  the  week  as  well  as  taken  to  the 
262 


SYMPOSIUM  263 

sacred  shrine  on  the  Sabbath  day.  We  must  have 
more  of  the  Christ  spirit  and  less  of  denomina- 
tionalism.  We  must  have  less  churches  in  "name" 
and  more  in  "purpose."  We  ought  to  have  stronger 
cooperation  between  the  denominations  working 
in  a  single  community.  We  really  need  to  mini- 
mize the  number  of  churches  in  our  smaller 
neighborhoods  in  order  to  make  possible  the  sup- 
port for  carrying  on  the  work  in  a  creditable 
manner.  Christian  spirit  must  be  secured  first, 
and  church  spirit  will  take  care  of  itself. 

Since  it  is  evident  that  only  a  small  portion  of 
our  people  really  attend  church,  we  must  there- 
fore find  some  other  way  of  reaching  them  than 
through  the  Sunday  service.  Christ  called  them 
wherever  he  found  them  and  at  once  began  his 
lessons  of  truth  and  love.  The  apostles  followed 
this  same  plan,  though  it  seems  to  be  obsolete  dur- 
ing our  modern  times.  If  the  world  is  to  be  won 
for  Christ,  it  must  be  done  to  a  great  extent  out- 
side of  church  walls  and  at  other  times  than 
during  the  regular  services.  Our  problem  is  to 
find  the  way,  to  discover  the  point  of  contact,  to 
make  our  lives  a  symbol  of  service  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  best  things.  Petty  difficulties 
must  be  ignored,  minor  differences  must  be  pushed 
aside,  the  bigger  and  the  more  vital  things  must 
become  dominant  in  this  great  work.  Brotherly 
kindness  must  take  the  place  of  unworthy  bicker- 
ings, and  the  great  love  which  Christ  holds  for 
mankind  must  be  declared  through  his  servants. 


E.   L.  ELAINE 

MEMBER  OF  1912  GENERAL  CONFERENCE,  SEATTLE, 
WASHINGTON 

THE  problems  of  the  Pacific  Northwest  can  be 
much  more  easily  stated  than  solved.  I  presume 
they  do  not  differ  materially  from  the  church 
problems  of  any  other  section  of  the  country,  yet 
there  are  some  conditions  connected  with  life  in 
this  section  not  met  with  elsewhere.  One  of 
these,  the  increasing  population,  makes  it  neces- 
sary for  church  authorities  to  be  somewhat  more 
active  in  reaching  the  newcomers  than  might  be 
required  in  other  sections.  Then,  too,  many  of 
these  newcomers  have  either  become  so  cold  or 
so  cloyed  in  their  old  church  home  that  they  fre- 
quently do  not  identify  themselves  with  the 
church  in  their  newly  chosen  home.  This  means 
work  for  both  pastor  and  people. 

Sabbath  desecration  is  one  of  the  problems  of 
any  comparatively  new  section  of  the  country, 
and  we  have  it  here  as  in  other  such  sections. 
Commercialism  in  all  its  various  forms  presents 
one  of  the  barriers  to  the  onward  march  of  the 
church.  Briefly  stated,  these  are  some  of  the 
tasks  confronting  the  church  in  this  section. 
How  shall  they  be  overcome?  One  possible  solu- 
264 


SYMPOSIUM  265 

tion  is  the  presentation  of  the  gospel  as  a  living 
reality,  stripped  of  the  mysticism  that  has  too 
frequently  characterized  much  of  the  preaching 
of  this  land.  If  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  is 
to  be  of  any  help  to  mankind,  it  must  be  livable 
reality,  and  unless  preachers  preach  this  and 
church  members  live  such  a  religion,  none  of 
these  problems  will  be  solved.  There  is  much  of 
tenderness  and  sentiment  in  the  service  of  our 
Master,  but  the  preaching  of  his  truth  must  not  be 
on  the  basis  of  emotionalism  or  sentimentalism, 
but,  rather,  the  stern  manliness  and  integrity  so 
necessary  in  discharging  the  civic  and  business 
duties  of  this  life. 


B.  F.  KUMLER 

SUPERINTENDENT  OP  THE  LARGEST  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

IN  COLUMBIA  RIVER  CONFERENCE — NORTH 

YAKIMA,  WASHINGTON 

THE  very  vastness  of  the  resources  of  the  North- 
west, the  preponderance  of  mountains,  rivers,  and 
forests  tend  to  increase  the  problems.  Nowhere 
in  the  United  States  in  a  like  area  are  found 
such  a  variety  of  industry  and  natural  resources 
of  every  conceivable  type.  This  fact  brings  men 
of  every  kind  and  social  condition — men  tired  of 
the  humdrum  existence  in  settled  countries,  the 
young  man  full  of  life  and  ambition  to  better  his 
fortunes,  and  the  idle  see  new  fields  well  adapted 
to  their  needs. 

The  ever-present  problem  of  the  unemployed 
will  be  tested  to  the  limit  because  of  better  op- 
portunities, of  untold  thousands  of  foreigners 
coming  to  our  country  who  must  find  their  place, 
socially,  commercially,  and  religiously,  among  us. 
To  assimilate  and  Christianize  our  present  and 
ever-increasing  population  and  maintain  the 
purity  of  our  American  ideals  is  a  task  that  will 
require  great  wisdom  and  consecration. 

The  great  freedom  of  the  West,  with  its  hustle 
266 


SYMPOSIUM  267 

and  bustle — work  in  a  hurry,  live  in  a  hurry — 
has  a  great  tendency  to  make  us  forget  our  former 
religious  connections  and  causes  us  to  drift  with 
the  tide. 

No  time  like  the  present  has  ever  given  such 
great  opportunity  for  trying  out  the  teachings  of 
Jesus  Christ  as  to  their  practical  value  in  the 
daily  affairs  of  men  and  women  amid  times  that 
are  turbulent  and  trying  and  under  conditions 
which  demand  the  very  best  of  everyone,  while 
the  inducements  for  less  than  the  best  are  con- 
stantly seeking  to  lure  one  from  the  attainment 
of  his  ideal. 

Let  me  suggest  that  if  this  great  Pacific  North- 
west is  ever  captured  for  Christ,  it  will  be  be- 
cause the  Sunday  school  and  young  people's  so- 
cieties are  equipping  and  training  an  army  of 
boys  and  girls  to  battle  for  him,  with  weapons 
that  never  fail — "The  open  Bible  and  the  uplifted 
Cross."  Allow  me  to  further  suggest  that  there 
should  be  less  of  creeds  and  nonessentials  and 
more  leaders  with  newer  and  better  conception 
and  real  vision  of  the  mission  of  Jesus  Christ 
among  men. 


T.  S.  McDANIEL 

PRESIDENT,  TRUSTEES  BOARD,  WILLAMETTE 
UNIVERSITY,   PORTLAND,   WASHINGTON 

ONE  problem  of  Methodism  is  that  of  really 
vitalizing  our  membership  with  a  definite  per- 
sonal experience,  so  that  each  member  will  be 
able  to  testify,  as  Paul  did,  that  it  is  not  he  that 
liveth,  but  Christ  that  liveth  in  him,  and  that 
every  manifestation  of  his  life  henceforth  shall 
be  regarded  as  a  revelation  of  the  Master  to  the 
world. 

Such  an  experience  would  lead  promptly  to 
the  reestablishment  of  the  family  altar  in  the 
great  multitude  of  homes  where  it  has  long  been 
neglected.  If  the  family  altar  can  be  kindled 
anew  with  personal  devotion,  sacrifice,  and  a 
divine  enthusiasm  for  the  deepest  and  highest  ex- 
periences in  the  spiritual  life,  it  shall  speedily 
come  to  pass  that  the  flame  upon  the  altar  in  the 
sanctuary  will  have  a  fervency  and  illuminating 
and  the  attractive  power  that  will  begin  to  draw 
unto  it  the  multitudes  of  young  people  who  have 
not  the  benefit  or  blessing  of  religious  training 
in  their  homes,  and  this  in  its  turn  will  act  in 
ways  of  surprising  helpfulness  upon  the  many 
other  perplexing  problems  which  now  confront  us 
from  day  to  day. 

268 


PRESIDENT  M.  M.  HIGLEY 

NORTHWESTERN  BUSINESS  COLLEGE,  SPOKANE, 
WASHINGTON 

IT  is  not  a  difficult  task  to  enumerate  some  of 
the  religious  problems  confronting  every  com- 
munity, but  how  to  solve  them  is  quite  another 
thing.  I  should  like  to  mention  some  of  the  most 
noticeable  of  the  religious  problems  as  they  ap- 
pear to  me. 

1.  Sabbath  desecration,  such  as  Sunday  base- 
ball,   theaters,    moving-picture   houses    open    all 
Sabbath  day  and  evening.    These  things  take  the 
minds  of  the  people,  especially  the  young,  from 
the  houses  of  worship.    The  young  people  are  the 
hope  of  the  nation,  the  hope  of  the  church,  and 
if  they  are  not  brought  up  to  love  and  respect 
the  house  of  God,  there  is  little  hope  for  the 
onward  march  of  the  church  and  her  influences. 
Too  often  parents  are  people  of  society  and  have 
no  regard  for  church  and  religion,  in  which  case 
the  children  care  nothing  about  the  Sabbath  or 
the  Christian  religion. 

2.  Another  stumbling-block  to  a  great  many  is 
the  multiplicity  of  churches  and  creeds.     I  may 
be  wrong,  but  I  sometimes  think  that  the  churches 
are  trying  too  much  of  the  spectacular;  in  other 

269 


270       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

words,  they  are  running  in  opposition  to  the  pic- 
ture shows.  Sensationalism  is  not  religion  any 
more  than  loud  shouting  is  preaching.  What  the 
people  want  is  a  preacher  just  a  little  different 
from  the  average  man;  a  church  different  from 
a  vaudeville  or  moving-picture  show;  a  religion 
that  will  reach  down  to  the  inner  recesses  of  a 
man's  heart  and  lift  him  up  to  God;  a  religion 
that  will  make  him  better  and  not  prouder;  a  re- 
ligion that  sees  a  man's  heart  and  not  his  clothes. 
A  gospel  that  Christ  preached  and  not  the  kind 
that  excuses  the  rich  man  and  condemns  the  poor ; 
a  religion  that  looks  upon  all  men  as  brothers  and 
does  not  first  consult  a  man's  financial  or  social 
standing  before  passing  judgment.  Social  caste 
should  in  my  opinion  have  no  special  place  in 
church  society. 

The  ideal  church,  if  there  be  such,  is  the  one 
where  all  of  its  members  are  on  the  job,  a  church 
that  not  only  expects  its  preacher  to  have  a  little 
religion,  but  a  church  that  expects  and  has  in 
the  pews  and  on  the  official  board  men  and  women 
who  are  also  Christians,  not  only  in  name  but  in 
practice — men  and  women  who  put  religion  into 
business.  Cut  out  some  of  the  machinery  of  our 
churches  and  add  a  little  more  plain  common- 
sense  Christianity.  Do  not  make  the  poor  feel 
that  they  are  not  welcome  just  because  they  can- 
not pay  quite  as  much  to  the  overhead  expenses. 
They  may  get  to  heaven,  even  though  they  do  not 
contribute  as  liberally  as  others. 


THE  KEV.  G.  A.  LANDEN 

TWICE  MEMBER  OF  GENERAL  CONFERENCES.     Now 

SUPERINTENDENT  OF  SEATTLE  DISTRICT, 

SEATTLE,  WASHINGTON 

ONE  of  the  problems  confronting  the  church  in 
the  Northwest  is  counter  attractions — the  theater, 
moving-picture  show,  the  poolroom  and  other 
forms  of  worldly  amusement.  Solution: 

First.  By  making  the  church  intensely  spirit- 
ual. I  use  the  word  "intensely"  advisedly  and 
after  serious  thought  on  this  subject.  The  at- 
tempt to  meet  the  world  half  way,  or  lower  our 
standards  with  the  object  of  drawing  people  to 
Christ  and  the  church,  has  always  failed  and  will 
always  fail.  The  average  worldly  man  or  woman 
is,  after  all,  looking  to  the  church  for  leadership 
in  spiritual  things,  and  they  have  no  use  for 
shams  or  half-heartedness  in  the  religious  life. 
They  are  looking  for  the  genuine  article.  The 
higher  the  standard  and  the  more  intense  the 
spiritual  life  of  the  church  the  more  likely  it  is 
to  overcome  counter  attractions. 

Second.  By  making  the  church  the  center  of 
the  social  life  of  the  people.  I  do  not  mean  by 
this  that  we  are  to  make  a  playhouse  of  the 
271 


272       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

church  building  but  we  can  cultivate  the  musical 
and  literary  tastes  of  the  people.  An  orchestra, 
a  musical  club,  a  debating  society,  a  free  lecture 
course  or  lyceum  bureau  can  be  organized  and 
conducted  in  the  church.  These  things  with  a 
wholesome  social  atmosphere  will  create  a  desire 
for  the  best  things  of  life  and  draw  folks  to  the 
church  of  God. 


THE  REV.  EGBERT  WARNER 

MEMBER  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1908  AND 
1912;  Moscow,  IDAHO 

How  shall  we  win  the  masses  of  the  Pacific 
Northwest  for  Christ?  The  greatest  problem  be- 
fore Methodism  of  the  great  Northwest  is  the  one 
above  suggested.  The  magnitude  of  the  problem 
is  seen  by  two  facts : 

First.  We  have  room  for  the  masses.  It  is 
stated  on  good  authority  that  if  we  divide  the 
United  States  into  two  equal  parts  by  running  a 
line  from  north  to  south,  the  Eastern  half  con- 
tains at  the  present  time  ninety  per  cent  of  the 
population,  or,  ninety  million  people,  while  the 
Western  half  has  but  ten  per  cent,  or  ten  million. 
The  Western  half  is  capable  of  supporting  more 
people  than  is  the  Eastern.  This  means  that  ulti- 
mately we  shall  have  in  this  section  nine  or  ten 
times  as  many  people  as  now. 

Second.  The  masses  are  headed  this  way. 
From  the  East  they  are  crossing  this  line  west- 
ward, and  from  Canada  they  are  returning  here. 
From  the  war-stricken  nations  of  half  the  world 
they  are  at  this  time  looking  to  this  land  as  the 
one  haven  of  peace,  security,  and  prosperity. 
273 


274       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

Millions  of  people  in  the  war  zone,  it  is  reported, 
have  already  decided  to  come  to  the  United  States 
as  soon  as  the  war  is  over.  How  shall  we  solve 
the  problem?  Space  prevents  a  detailed  plan  be- 
ing given  here,  but  it  means  at  least,  (1)  more 
missionary  money  for  this  field,  (2)  more  pastors 
and  missionaries,  (3)  more  evangelistic  fervor 
and  zeal,  (4)  more  lay  evangelism,  (5)  more  at- 
tention to  rural  communities  where  a  large  per- 
centage of  the  immigrants  will  find  homes. 


THE  KEV.  JOHN  MARTIN  CANSE 

SUPERINTENDENT  BELLINGHAM  DISTRICT,  BELLING- 
HAM,  WASHINGTON 

AMONG  our  problems  are: 

1.  Warped  thinking,  where  such  surface  gods 
as  gold  and  healing  and  future  fire-extinction  are 
dazzling   the   vision   of   some   clever   and   many 
stupid  people. 

2.  Infidelity  among  the  struggling  masses  that 
robs  them  of  the  trust  that  insures  a  supply  of 
daily  food  for  all  about  the  table  and  leaves 
gnawing  hunger  and  biting  despair  clutching  at 
the  heart. 

3.  A  worldliness  among  church  members  that  is 
rendering  many  insensible  to  the  highest  mission 
of  life.     Supine  unconcern  has  drawn  holy  fires 
and    chilled    the    necessary    passion    for    souls. 
Plain   old-fashion    apathy   has   benumbed   many 
newfangled  Christians. 

The  sufficiency  of  God  in  all  their  affairs  is 
overlooked  by  all  such  classes.  While  he  is  able 
they  lack  spiritual  vision  to  see  him  awaiting 
their  call.  It  is  the  mission  of  the  church  to  so 
disclose  the  Almighty  One  that  they  will  accept 
their  burden-bearing  Saviour. 

275 


276       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

An  efficiency  movement  is  suggested  to  study 
our  religious  conditions  in  order  to  eliminate 
the  waste  and  utilize  all  our  energies.  We  need 
a  scientific  survey  of  the  wild  pastures  that  are 
attracting  so  many  silly  sheep.  Why  are  the 
men  of  our  mines  and  mills  and  lumber  camps  so 
reckless  of  their  highest  interests?  Why  do  not 
our  youth,  "go  forth  to  nature's  teachings"  and 
inquire  of  the  Great  Teacher  and  not  the 
"movies"? 

Accurate  measure  of  nearby  gospel  forces 
should  supplement  this  survey.  Adequate  lay 
and  clerical  forces  are  close  at  hand  that  can 
solve  the  problems  in  the  radiance  of  the  cross. 
Vision  and  enduement  never  come  short  of  the 
upper  room.  The  old-time  Pentecost  can  reap- 
pear in  modern  houses.  It  is  returning  with 
power.  The  servants  did  all  the  work  at  Cana, 
but  it  was  Jesus  who  gave  them  success.  So 
shall  we  solve  our  problems;  when  we  do  all  the 
work  and  let  him  have  his  way  with  us.  Efficient 
Christians  are  the  complement  of  the  sufficient 
God.  Each  may  have  his  mind,  enjoy  ample  daily 
bread,  and  be  drawn  into  the  kingdom  of  peace 
and  plenty. 


J.  W.  McDOUGALL 

SUPERINTENDENT,  PORTLAND  DISTRICT,  PORTLAND, 
OREGON 

KNOWING  but  little  of  the  other  States  in  the 
Pacific  Northwest,  I  will  confine  what  I  have  to 
say  to  the  State  of  Oregon.  Oregon  is  yet  in  its 
infancy.  When  admitted  into  the  Union  in  1859 
she  had  a  population  of  fifty-three  thousand  and 
an  area  of  sixty-one  million  four  hundred  and 
fifty-nine  thousand  two  hundred  acres.  The  pres- 
ent population  is  seven  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand, and  fully  thirty-five  per  cent  is  in  the  city  of 
Portland,  which  will  give  an  idea  of  the  amount 
of  territory  unoccupied.  The  population  of  the 
State  is  cosmopolitan  in  its  make-up.  In  short, 
we  have  the  city  problem  and  also  the  country 
problem ;  the  problem  of  wealth  and  poverty ;  the 
strong  influential  church  is  here  and  the  very 
poor  as  well.  The  great  problem  that  we  have  to 
solve,  after  all,  is  the  problem  of  sin;  that  is  at 
the  root  of  all  our  woes  and  the  one  great  prob- 
lem that  we  have  to  solve  either  in  city  or  coun- 
try, and  the  salvation  by  Jesus  is  the  only  solu- 
tion. What  is  needed  most,  however,  is  leader- 
ship adapted  to  the  real  needs  of  Western  life. 
277 


278       PACIFIC  NORTHWEST  PULPIT 

There  is  a  great  lack  of  vision.  "Where  there  is 
no  vision  the  people  perish."  Lack  of  vision  of 
responsibility  means  inefficient  leadership.  The 
heroic  in  many  instances  is  taken  out  of  our  re- 
ligious life  and  service,  so  that  not  many  are 
willing  to  make  the  sacrifice  needful  to  the  ac- 
complishment of  the  work  that  should  be  done. 
Give  us  men  intellectually  and  spiritually  strong, 
who  can  see  their  opportunities  and  are  willing 
to  give  themselves  to  a  hard  task,  for  it  is  the 
hard  and  difficult  things  that  try  us  and  make  us. 
Next  to  men  the  greatest  need  is  money.  Could 
the  church  at  large  get  a  vision  of  the  opportuni- 
ties in  this  Western  country,  and  the  great  needs 
both  in  the  congested  centers  and  in  the  sparsely 
settled  districts,  I  am  sure  they  would  respond 
with  great  liberality.  Men  of  the  right  sort,  with 
sufficient  money  back  of  them,  would  make  even 
"the  desert  to  blossom  as  a  rose."  One  great  diffi- 
culty we  have  to  contend  with  is  the  mad  rush 
for  gold  on  the  part  of  many  church  members  who 
come  to  us  from  the  East  and  who  leave  their 
membership  behind,  and  so,  instead  of  lining  up 
with  the  forces  of  God,  become  a  source  of  weak- 
ness. 


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